Peter Obi’s party came third not even second – Professor Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday, alleged that the leadership of the Labour Party, LP, knew that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost the February 25 election.

Soyinka accused the leadership of LP of trying to force “a lie” on Nigerians, especially youths that Obi won the election. The Nobel laureate spoke at an event titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” organised by Africa in the World. The event took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

While speaking at the event, Soyinka was asked to react to his comment against the Vice-Presidential candidate of LP, Datti Baba-Ahmed after the general elections. Soyinka said the truth matters to him, noting that many people always look for shortcuts.

His words: “This recent election – two things happened first of all. One party took over the labour movement, which is not my favourite movement, and then it became a regional party.

“Whereas it was a marvellous breach into the established two camps. Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there, that he broke that mould. However, he did not win the election.

“I can say categorically that Peter Obi’s party came third not even second and the leadership knew it but they want to do what we call in Yoruba ‘gbajue’, that is force of lies.”

While he alleged that the LP leadership attempted to mobilise young people to protest against the outcome of the election on the “banner of lies and deceit, Soyinka said: “They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate.”

He, however, said: “I’m also ready to be among such demonstrators but only on the banner of truth not on lies, and deceit.

“This party (LP) wanted the same thing (referring to 2011 post-election violence) to happen on the basis of a lie and we find this vice-presidential candidate on television boasting, insisting, threatening and trying to intimidate both the judiciary and the rest.

“What kind of government will result from that kind of conduct? In addition, they did not know this but they were being used.

“Before the election, there were certain clandestine forces, including some former generals, who were already calling for an interim government before the elections began.”

“Some of them were known figures, including a proprietor of a university calling for an interim government before the election took place.”