Obi came far third, not first, that’s ‘gbadjuẹ’- Wole Soyinka

The Nigerian Literary giant, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has again broken his silence on the 2023 presidential election as he said Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, did not win the poll as popularly claimed among his supporters.

Soyinka said Obi only came far third in the February election, not even second.

“In the recent election, two things happened first of all. One party took over the Labour movement which is one of my favourite movements also,” he said in a trending interview on X.

“Then it became a regional party… whereas it was a marvellous bridge into the established two camps. Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there that he broke that mold. Yes.

“But, however, he did not win that election. I was in a monitoring organisation. I can say categorically that Peter Obi’s party came third not even second and the leadership knew it.

“But they want to do what we call in Yoruba ‘gbajue’, that is force of lies…’

“They’re going to send some of the hardliners, crowds, young people to the streets to demonstrate.

“I’m always ready to be part of such demonstrations but only on the banner of truth.”

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, on Wednesday affirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential poll, but his rivals have pledged to go to the Supreme Court.

The court ruled that although Obi and the Labour insisted that the election was rigged in 18, 088 polling units across the federation, they were unable to state the locations of the said polling units.

The court struck out paragraphs 9, 60, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 77, 78, 83 and 89 of the petition.

“They failed to state the number of votes affected and the number of people disenfranchised. The determination of the election is about figures,” Justice Abba Mohammed ruled.