Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has stirred controversy by publicly criticizing Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 election.
Soyinka declared that Obi is “unfit” to lead the country, further alleging that Obi is responsible for the online trolls who have directed insults at him.
Soyinka, known for his outspoken views on political figures and issues in Nigeria, often generates significant attention and debate with his comments.
His critique of Obi is no exception, reflecting the deeply polarized nature of Nigerian politics.
Soyinka’s stature as a respected writer and intellectual lends weight to his statements, but it also subjects them to intense scrutiny and opposition, especially from supporters of the figures he critiques.
When asked about the “Obidient” movement, Soyinka’s critical perspective is likely to provoke strong reactions, illustrating the passionate support for Obi and the broader political engagement in Nigeria.
The ongoing discourse around Soyinka’s remarks underscores the complex and contentious landscape of Nigerian politics, where influential voices and grassroots movements interact dynamically.
In Wole Soyinka’s words:
It has to do with education. I didn’t read all these (insults by Obidient Movement) but of course, some links were sent to me, especially when facts were ‘being manufactured’.
“When I read these things, I was disgusted. There’s no other word for it. I really was disgusted and I know that it was orchestrated.
“I know that there is a relay mechanism, which is triggered into action by those who control what we call the trolls of the Internet, and so my disgust and contempt.
I just went about my business, you know, because nobody, anybody on this earth who thinks they can stop me telling the truth as I see it needs to have his or her head examined. It’s as elementary as that.
But it is depressing to see those who wanted to be political leaders encouraging that kind of action, that kind of attitude in the youth. And my mind went to the expression, ‘They don’t know what they’re doing’.
Those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. “One of these days, they would be astonished, they would turn on them and teach them a lesson. And so, my attitude was very blasé and it is for me a sad phenomenon, especially for those who want to lead multi-textured (society)- different religions, different ethnic groups, different worldviews – who actually want to preside over such a group as one. It means that they have already declared themselves incompetent to lead such an entity.”
