Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka on Friday doubled down on his tag of fascism on ‘Obidients’ Movement, supporters of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, calling them as one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions he ever encountered in any political arena.
Soyinka had in a statement on Tuesday warned that the Obidient movement was ‘slithering backwards and down the fascistic slope.’
In another interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, the nobel laureate described comments made by the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed over the swearing-in of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as reckless, fascist, menacing, and unacceptable for a person of his calibre.
Fascism, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.
In another Channels TV interview, Soyinka said: ““I denounced the menacing utterances of a vice-presidential aspirant as unbecoming. It was a gladiatorial challenge directed at the judiciary and, by implication, the rest of the democratic polity…. My rejection of fascism is nothing new. On three occasions, I was able to send a message to Peter Obi that if he lost the election, it would be his followers who lost it for him. It was depressing to watch his lieutenant, a crucially positioned voice of a movement that has ‘broken the mould’, threaten the totality of social existence.”
The statements which did not sit well with a number of Obi supporters and other political commentators have been a topic of intense debate on micro-blogging platform Twitter.
While some have slammed the Literature Professor over the ‘hypocritical’ statement, others have argued that Soyinka be accorded some degree of respect as an elder statesman.
‘Obidients’ are arguing that Soyinka, who hijacked a radio station at gunpoint in the 1960s to protest the regional elections in Western Nigeria, had no moral right to liken the their movement to fascism.
Investigative journalist David Hundeyin criticized Soyinka over his choice of word, “Words have real power. Language is a potent form of mind control. If someone is able to control the words that people use to describe you, he has control over people’s perception of you – which can have real implications for you.
“No matter how fatuous or silly the ongoing attempt to hoodwink the world into categorising Peter Obi’s support base as “fascist” or “populist” is, once those words are allowed to stick, they will start to cause real problems,” he tweeted.
However, the Nobel Laureate, in a statement on Friday, titled: “Fascism on Course,” said the instigating contest – Nigerian Democracy 2023 – has witnessed much that is innovative – largely in the retrogressive vein.
“Violence and ethnic profiling. “Spiritual” warfare in the shape of sacrificial rams to keep “disloyal” communities under restraint – in short, intimidation yet again! Easily overlooked however are those missives of violence directed against dissenting voices, real or suspect. Such, for instance, were the virulent attacks and threats to the musician Seun Kuti, his family and iconic music Shrine.
“His crime consisted of nothing more than declaring the name “Obidient” derogatory to his sense of civic dignity and activist history. Such beginnings – and instances are numerous – have culminated in the open intimidation of the Court of Last Resort, even before proceedings have begun. By the way, I do agree with Seun Kuti; ‘Obidients’ is one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions I ever encountered in any political arena.
“Some love it however, and this is what freedom is about. Choice. Taste. Free emotions. By contrast, I have no quarrel with “Yes Daddy”. Roman Catholics are used to saying “Yes, Father”. Secularists say “Enh, Baba”. The context and content are what matters, and lies – where established – raise bothersome issues such as Integrity Deficiency,” he said.
According to Soyinka, it would appear that a record discharge of toxic sludge from notorious smut factory is currently clogging the streets and sewers of the Republic of Liars.
He said it goes to prove the point that “provoked the avalanche EXACTLY! The seeds of incipient fascism in the political arena have evidently matured. A climate of fear is being generated. The refusal to entertain corrective criticism, even differing perspectives of the same position has become a badge of honour and certificate of commitment.
“What is at stake, ultimately is – Truth, and at a most elementary level of social regulation: when you are party to a conflict, you do not attempt to intimidate the arbiter, attempt to dictate the outcome, or impugn, without credible cause, his or her neutrality even before hearing has commenced. That is a ground rule of just proceeding. Short of this, Truth remains permanently elusive.”
Soyinka added that the ensuing cacophony has been truly bewildering, saying it struck him as a possible ploy to smother recent provocations by other, far more trenchant issues, such as revelations of declarations of a religious war.
“If so, let it be known that I have long declared war against religious fundamentalism, the nature of which justifies the butchery, kidnapping and enslavement of students in the name of religion. That aspirant’s alleged gaffe cuts no ice with me.
“Far more alarming was the grotesque fantasy of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court disguised on a wheelchair, zooming off in space to a secret meeting with other parties of the conflict. On its own, that is sufficiently scary. Swiftly followed thereafter by a television tirade of intimidation, it strikes one as more than the mere antics by the mentally deranged.
“The tactics are familiar: ridicule, incriminate, then intimidate. Objective: undermine the structure of justice .Just as a reminder: this writer was not being rhetorical when he declared, on exiting prison detention: Justice is the first condition of humanity.”
According to Soyinka, “Let us remind ourselves of the following: in any adjudication, society finds it unacceptable that a party to the dispute resort to influencing tactics by extra-judicial means – such as bribery. Intimidation and threats are merely the obverse complements of material inducement. Those who fail to appreciate this are entirely free to their existence in an illusory world.
“We shall add the following pointer for this particular electoral tussle – the news may be unpleasant, but here it comes. Quite a few pundits have set out in some impressive – not necessarily persuasive – detail the- possibility that the complainants in this presidential election are not as strongly planted on the victory podium as they presume – see, for instance – Ambassador Haastrup’s fascinating analysis in Newspeak etc. April 6.
“Right or wrong? That is not the issue. What the nations needs to know right now is if you are planning to send assassins after such negative analysts.! Coming to terms with an unpalatable projected eventuality – sorry – possible eventuality, counsels deep reflection, not demonization of the bearer of sour news. For the seriously committed, it requires pulling back the horns a little in order to regroup, rethink and resurge. Democracy is sometimes a long haul. Some of us have been at it for quite a while.
“I am well aware that the foregoing is further invitation for more nauseous bilge from the besotted. Please, be my guest. It is, after all, one of those special seasons of convergence of two seasons of self-flagellation. Fasting makes bearers of constricted minds even more light-headed. Delusions fill the vacuum.”