Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has expressed his hope that Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, will not run in the next election.
In a recent interview, Soyinka criticized the leadership of the Labour Party during the last election, stating that their actions demonstrated their unfitness to govern Nigeria.
Soyinka further accused Obi of orchestrating the online harassment directed at him and other critics by Obi’s supporters, known as ‘Obidients’.
He recounted how he and other prominent figures faced insults on social media platforms, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), which he attributed to a coordinated effort by the party’s leadership.
The literary icon described his reaction to these attacks as one of disgust and contempt.
According to him, such behavior, encouraged by political leaders, is detrimental to the political climate and is indicative of a lack of proper leadership qualities.
Soyinka condemned the encouragement of such online trolls, highlighting it as a poor example for the youth.
Soyinka warned that these “foot soldiers” of the online trolling campaigns could eventually turn against their leaders, underscoring the importance of responsible leadership in a diverse society like Nigeria.
He lamented that those aspiring to lead the nation should not be fostering such divisive and aggressive tactics among their followers.
While specifically addressing Obi’s potential future candidacy, Soyinka stressed that Obi’s encouragement of hostile online behavior during his previous campaign signaled his unsuitability for presidential leadership.
He therefore urged former Anambra governor to reconsider running in the next election for the sake of the nation’s well-being.
