LP knew Obi lost election yet wants to force lies on Nigerians — Soyinka

In March, Soyinka criticised the LP over alleged “fascist” comments made by its vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, on the outcome of the presidential election.

By Jeffrey Agbo

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has chided the Labour Party (LP) again, saying the party is trying to force lies on Nigerians that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, won the February 25 election.

At an event themed “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” organised by Africa in the World in Stellenbosch, South Africa on Wednesday, Soyinka said the truth matters to him, but many people always look for shortcuts.

The renowned playwright said he was armed with facts when he invaded a radio station in Ibadan in 1965.

He added that he was not relying on “third-hand information” about the result of the 1965 regional election.

Soyinka accused the LP of taking over the organised labour movement in the build-up to the 2023 election.

He noted that Obi achieved “something remarkable” by breaking the monopoly of power established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“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,” he said.

“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.

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“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.”

Soyinka also 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”.

“They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate,” he said.

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

“This party 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 ex-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.”

In March, Soyinka criticised the LP over alleged “fascist” comments made by its vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, on the outcome of the presidential election.