The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate during the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi has disclosed his reason for paying a visit to Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka.
“Today, I visited one of Nigeria’s most revered figures and an international literary icon, Prof Wole Soyinka,” Obi tweeted.
The former Anambra State governor described Soyinka as a fighter who always stands for “justice and equity” in society.
Soyinka had in an interview accused supporters of Obi known as Obidients of fascism over their alleged attitude of seeing attacks on individuals on social media as their “badge of honour”.
The Nobel Laureate had also said that the LP vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed was being fascist and that his comments towards the judiciary were unacceptable.
Datti on his own part had said that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, would lead an unconstitutional government if sworn into office because the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.
Obi, however, said his visit to Soyinka on Sunday was intended to erase the needless misconceptions about the both of them.
“Prof Soyinka has been a father whom I hold in very high esteem for what he has achieved and stands for in the struggle for a better Nigeria,” Obi said.
“His reputation as a fighter for justice and equity in our society has been legendary and we will NEVER ignore them.
“I had a very useful and enriching discussion about his aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria and he shared a lot with me about his dream for a greater and more inclusive Nigeria.
“I reminded the Nobel laureate of the huge price he paid just before the outbreak of the civil war, fighting for the cause of the Igbos.
“I cherished this Sunday’s visit which was intended to erase the needless misconceptions about the relationship between the great icon and the OBIdient family.”
