4th April, 2023
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has denounced the utterances of the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not be sworn in on May 29.
But Soyinka, in a statement on Tuesday said the utterances of the vice presidential aspirant was unbecoming and a gladiatorial challenge directed at the judiciary and, by implication, the rest of the democratic polity.
In his words: “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.”
He said in his interview on Channels TV, he condemned the physical violence inflicted on those designated ‘strangers’ in Lagos and wondered why the media were silent on this aspect in reporting his interview on Channels TV.
“But what on earth has happened to my even more urgent condemnation of the physical violence inflicted on those designated “strangers” in Lagos in the lead up to, and during governorship elections?
“This prejudicial selectivity is a betrayal of trust, and I find it contemptuous of public deserving. My critique of incipient fascism in the movement remains grounded in indisputable evidence.
“Throughout the interview, I continued to stress that the final word had yet to be pronounced on the elections – that omission renders the full message tendentious!” he said.
Baba-Ahmed had in an interview on Channels TV on 22 March, said swearing in Tinubu as president is “ending democracy” and a clear violation of the 1999 constitution.”
He asked Olukayode Ariwoola, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), not to participate in the swearing-in of Tinubu as president over what he described as a “violation” of the constitution.
“Section 134 stipulates who should be declared and issued a certificate of return. It is only that candidate that has scored the highest number of votes and at least 25 percent each in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation and the FCT,” he said.
“Now, it is very clear that Tinubu does not have 25 percent in the FCT, we denied him. We got 61 percent. Atiku does not have 25 percent in the FCT. We denied both of them.
“By clear and unambiguous provisions of the Nigerian constitution, which must not be breached, Tinubu has not satisfied the requirement to be declared President-elect. Accordingly, there is no President-elect for Nigeria now. Because the declared one violates the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I know what I’m saying.
“Swearing in a ticket that has not met the constitutional requirement is ending democracy. That is indeed the correct interpretation. You cannot swear in people who have not met the constitutional requirement. if you do it, you have done something unlawful and unconstitutional.
“Mr President, do not hold that inauguration. CJN, your lordship, do not participate in unconstitutionality. It is extreme and I’m saying it. It was more extreme for Yakubu to issue that certificate. It was reckless.”