I have painstakingly listened to Prof. Wole Soyinka’s interviews on the Nigerian 2023 elections and I make bold to say that “The man dies in him who keeps silent when it matters most.” I dare say further that It is most unfair and unholy of Prof. Wole Soyinka to come out of the blues to apportion blames.
Prof. kept silent when INEC deliberately refused to upload the presidential election results electronically. He kept silent when INEC breached the Electoral Act and it’s own rules and regulations in the conduct of elections. He kept silent when Igbos and those suspected to be Igbos where being threatened by their Yoruba host. He was silent when the Oro rite was performed during elections throughout Lagos State to disenfranchise non-natives and women. He was silent when Igbos and their look-alikes were being attacked by some Yorubas on election day
He kept silent when xenophobic and inflammatory statements were made on Igbos by Bayo Onanuga, Festus Keyamo, Femi Fani-Kayode and many others. He kept silent when APC was using the Nigerian police and other state operatus to suppress Nigerians during elections. He kept silent when elections were massively rigged and democracy made a mess of. In all these if Prof had spoken a word or two it would have made a world of difference because his voice mattered then not his silence.
Prof. Wole Soyinka’s outburst on television and assessment of the state of things and frontal attack on Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed is most unfair and unbalanced. Prof’s position tends to give imprimatur to the stolen mandate of the Nigerian people by an evil and devilish regime. Prof’s silence at this point in time would have been golden than his voice whereas he failed to speak when it mattered most.
