By Kamil Opeyemi
The presidential campaign council of opposition Labour Party, LP, has said that there is no political basis to debate with Prof. Wole Soyinka on the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
Reacting to a one-on-one debate challenge to the vice presidential candidate of the party, Datti Baba Ahmed by Soyinka over his views on the constitutionality of inaugurating President-elect, Bola Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed told the Nobel laureate to instead bring his preferred candidates to debate.
Obi-Datti Media Office made this known in a statement signed by Yunusa Tanko on Saturday, said the decision of Datti not to take Soyinka up on his offer was not out of cowardice but for cultural and political reasons.
“Like many Nigerians we are bewildered by the late hour intervention of our respected Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka in issues around the flawed 2023 elections.
“Where was he all this while? One of those who should ordinarily and rightfully be honoured as the conscience of the nation, Prof. Soyinka is now criminalising dissent and infact weighing in on the side of fraud and injustice!
“We state therefore that the vice-presidential candidate of Labour Party, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed cannot take up Prof. Soyinka’s offer of a public debate, not out of cowardice, but for cultural and political reasons.
“Culturally it’s just not decent, their age and accomplishment gaps taken into account, for Datti to sit opposite the 88 year-old global icon and point out his folly to his face, even if the old man called for it. And politically there is no basis for such a challenge in that Prof. is not on any of the opposite ballots.
“If however he can use his influence to drag his preferred candidates, who resisted debates throughout the campaign, to the studio this second, Datti says he is more than willing to take them on.”