The Labour Party has accused Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka of exhibiting “dual character” and succumbing to “groupthink syndrome” in his recent comments about the party’s performance in the 2023 general elections.
The party’s statement comes after Soyinka slammed the Labour Party at an event titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” for reportedly trying to force lies on Nigerians as regards the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
Soyinka said that the leadership of LP knew its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost the February 25 election and accused the leadership of LP of trying to force “a lie” on Nigerians, especially youths, that Obi won 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.” Soyinka said.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Thursday, LP’s spokesperson, Obiora Ifoh, said Soyinka’s comments the party was playing “Gbajue” (to force a lie) on Nigerians were “disconcerting” and “befuddling” coming from a “detribalized and activist statesman.”
Ifoh claimed that Soyinka had conveniently glossed over INEC’s legerdemain leading to substantial non-compliance and erosion of constitutional dictates, just as he conveniently glossed over INEC’s advanced “gbajue” of February 25 that has installed the King of “gbajue” in Aso Rock.
“It’s rather interesting that the erudite Prof. Soyinka, who owned up to having an electoral “monitoring unit” conveniently glossed over INEC’s legerdemain leading to substantial non-compliance and erosion of constitutional dictates, just as he conveniently glossed over the INEC’s advanced ‘gbajue’ of 25 February that has surreptitiously installed the King of ‘gbajue’ in Aso Rock,” Ifoh said.
“It is most befuddling as well as disconcerting that a detribalized and activist Soyinka would succumb to the groupthink syndrome that subscribes to State Capture by those belonging to the criminal fringe by any means, based on primordial considerations.”
He also accused Soyinka of failing to condemn the unprovoked attacks on Labour Party supporters in Lagos by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, during the last elections.
Ifoh stated that the whole world followed the 2023 general election in Nigeria and there was a global condemnation of not only the outcome of the election but also the process, particularly, the “glitching” incident that occurred only during the transmission of the presidential result to IREV.
“He also watched when the Labour Party provided evidence of several defaced result sheets permitted and uploaded to the IREV by INEC, particularly in places where the Labour Party won, again, the great Soyinka was astonishingly mute,” he added.
The Labour Party, according to Ifoh, will not allege selective amnesia as the reason for Soyinka’s wrong prognosis but we would have expected him to be a statesman, and not exhibit the dual character of someone who may be blinded by some chauvinistic tendencies.
“We would rather keep our impression about his recent dual personality with us. We want to also let him know that building a New Nigeria is a dream which time has come and Nigerian youths will not relent until such a dream is realized.”
