Several weeks after his supporters’ row with renowned Playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka, ex-Governor Peter Obi, on Sunday, in an apparent attempt to mend fences, visited the celebrated author.
Describing the misconceptions that trailed the episode as ‘needless’, Obi said that the popular writer remained like a father to him who deserves all his respect.
Soyinka had come under intense criticism by supporters of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Obi, for associating the movement with fascism.
The Nobel Laureate had argued that the comments made by the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the LP, Yusuf Ahmed-Datti over the swearing-in of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were reckless, fascist, menacing, and unacceptable for a person of his calibre.
However, the statement which did not sit well with a number of Obi supporters and other political commentators had been a topic of intense debate on the internet, prompting attacks on Soyinka.
While some slammed the literature professor over the ‘hypocritical’ statement, others argued that Soyinka should be accorded some degree of respect as an elder statesman.
But in a short note on Sunday night, Obi noted that he still holds Soyinka in high esteem, especially for his struggle for a better and free country.
“Today, I visited one of Nigeria’s most revered figures and an international literary icon, Prof Wole Soyinka. Prof Soyinka has been my father whom I hold in very esteem for what he has achieved and stands for in the struggle for a better Nigeria.
“ His reputation as a fighter for justice and equity in our society has been legendary and we will never ignore them,” Obi stated.
He maintained that Soyinka remains a respected Nigerian whose contributions to the nation’s growth must be highlighted by all and sundry.
He added: “I had a very useful and enriching discussion about his aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria, and he shared a lot with me about his dream for a greater, and more inclusive Nigeria.
“I reminded the Nobel Laureate of the huge price he paid just before the outbreak of civil war, fighting for the cause of the Igbos.
“I cherish this Sunday’s visit which was intended to erase the needless misconceptions about the relationship between the great icon and the ‘obidient’ family,” he noted.
Emmanuel Addeh
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