Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has criticized the comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in a recent interview with Channels TV.
Soyinka described Baba-Ahmed’s remarks as containing “fascistic language” and a “kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that is contrary to democratic disposition.
Baba-Ahmed had claimed in the interview that despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announcing Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, the country has no president-elect.
He said Tinubu would be leading an unconstitutional government if sworn into office because the APC candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.
This interview led to criticism from political stakeholders and an N5 million fine for the TV station.
Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Soyinka said he had never heard anyone threaten the judiciary on television the way Baba-Ahmed did.
He added that the LP vice-presidential candidate tried to “dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation”, which is unacceptable.
“I have never heard anyone threaten the judiciary on television the way Datti did. I heard the kind of menacing, blackmailing language as that to which we were treated by Datti. That kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation is not what I think we have all been struggling for,” Soyinka said.
“Nearly the totality of Datti’s comment in the interview was unbecoming. It was like trying to dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation, and whatever you think of the supreme court, it is an institution we all refer to sooner or later.
“But Datti kept saying, in his wisdom, that the supreme court must agree with me. That is what is known as fascistic language and it is not acceptable.”
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