Mr Soyinka, who described the LP vice presidential candidate’s comments as “fascist”, said his utterances were a threat to the judiciary and therefore not acceptable.
A group, Free Nigeria Movement, has accused Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, of a ‘selective witch-hunt’ over his reaction to the comments of the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed.
The group stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
In a recent interview on Channels Television, Mr Baba-Ahmed insisted that his interpretation of a section of the constitution was the right interpretation and that anyone who swears in the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, as declared by INEC, is ending democracy in Nigeria.
Mr Baba-Ahmed’s comment attracted a N5 million fine from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the television station.
Mr Soyinka, who described the LP vice presidential candidate’s comments and those of the “Obidients” as “fascist”, said his utterances were a threat to the judiciary and therefore not acceptable.
Presidential election results
INEC had on 1 March declared Mr Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the 25 February presidential election.
He defeated 17 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
While Mr Tinubu polled 8.7 million votes, Atiku and Mr Obi polled 6.9 million and 6.1 million votes respectively.
Since the declaration of the APC candidate as the winner of the election, opposition parties and their supporters have not only rejected the results, but they are also for the cancellation, accusing the electoral commission of flouting its own guidelines.
Both Atiku and Mr Obi insisted they won the election and have approached the election petition tribunal to challenge the process and victory of Mr Tinubu.
But Moses Paul, the convener of the Free Nigeria Movement, a coalition of groups canvassing the cancellation of the presidential poll, wondered why Mr Soyinka kept mum when other politicians made incendiary comments.
He described comments by the literary giant as unfortunate and regrettable, saying it appears to be a selective witch-hunt.
“The Prof. should be a father to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party or social affiliations,” he said in a statement on Monday. “However, he has betrayed the trust of many Nigerians who before now hold him in high esteem.
“It is on record that Prof Wole Soyinka never condemned the shameless episode of ethnic profiling, instigation and hate speech by elements such as Musiliu Akinsanya (a.k.a MC Oluomo), Bayo Onanuga, Femi Fani – Kayode, and a host of other atrocious persons.
“Or are their actions not fascist? Nor did he condemn Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu’s insistence on flouting INEC’s guidelines, the Electoral Act and his rush to declare a winner.
Mr Moses, whose group has protested the results of the 25 February presidential election, also called for the boycott of Mr Soyinka’s literary materials.
“We, therefore, call for the boycott of his books, articles, events and all public engagements that celebrate his literary achievements which as of today do not recognize the well-being of the ordinary Nigerian. We need role models and not sell-outs,” he said.
…calls for cancellation of election result
Mr Moses said his group is also calling for the cancellation of the presidential election, saying they have made presentations to the governments of the United States, Britain, and country representatives of the United Nations, European Union and ECOWAS Commission.
He said the group is demanding the “sack, arrest and prosecution of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, cancellation of the presidential election of 25th February 2023, compensation of all victims of electoral violence, establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee in Lagos and other flashpoints of violence.
“We have also held a press conference to clarify our position on the declaration of an Interim National Government when the ill-planned attempt by spin doctors to frame it as a call for a military takeover began to build heat in the polity. We have also held national prayers for the nation. But above all, we have maintained a non-violent stance in our bid to seek redress for our demands.”