Famous Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie has refuted Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s assertion that the Obidients, as Peter Obi’s Labour Party supporters are affectionately known, are fascists.
Soyinka accused Obidients of fascism in an interview on Saturday due to their claimed inability to accept constructive criticism as a “badge of honour.”
Following an interview in which he stated that Bola Tinubu shouldn’t be sworn in as president, Soyinka also characterised Baba Ahmed-Datti, the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, as a fascist.
Speaking on the topic that had stirred up debate on the internet, Chimamanda dissented from Soyinka, claiming that the word “fascist” is a very harsh one.
According to her, the word fascist can be used for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, but not Datti and the Obidients.
She said, “I have a lot of love and respect for Prof Soyinka but I disagree very strongly with him on this issue. Fascist is a very strong word and I don’t see any reason why Dr Datti’s interview was termed that way.
“Fascist can be used for INEC because many Nigerians feel cheated & gagged; with all the violence that occurred during the elections, that is Fascist.”
