Soyinka: Atiku and Obi’s Split Helped Tinubu Win Presidential Election

By Daniel Edu

Renowned Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has asserted that President Bola Tinubu’s electoral triumph was facilitated by the decision of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to diverge from his former running mate, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Soyinka made these remarks during a dialogue hosted by ‘Africa in the World’ in Stellenbosch, South Africa, as per a statement released on Saturday.

In his address, Soyinka urged politicians to embrace accountability for the repercussions of their decisions. He debunked the notion that the recent Nigerian elections were a contentious spectacle, emphasizing that the ballot results reflected the outcome when a political party splits so close to an election.

Soyinka characterized the situation as a “Feast of Voluntary Donation of the spoils of war,” wherein political adversaries voluntarily contribute to the victory of one candidate over another. He also alluded to the notion of an “Interim Peoples Party” (IPP), which often aligns with the military, and highlighted the possibility of a repeated cycle of political events.

He concluded by stating that the ultimate judgment rests with the Supreme Court, and that politicians should accept responsibility for their choices within democratic processes.

During the event, Soyinka accused the Labour Party of attempting to mislead Nigerians about the election’s outcome.

In response, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, concurred with Soyinka’s assertion that Obi did not win the election. Arabambi described the reactions from his factional Chairman, Julius Abure, as disrespectful and impertinent.

He emphasized that the claim of victory without concrete evidence was baseless, and he criticized the expectation that the actual winner would be disqualified to pave the way for a third-place candidate to emerge as the victor.

Arabambi also highlighted that Obi’s use of Igbo state coordinators during the campaign in the north was indicative of their intentions from the outset.