Datti Baba-Ahmed, Peter Obi's running mate in the 2023 Nigerian election, slams Wole Soyinka's criticism of Obidients. Baba-Ahmed says Obi can't control the grassroots movement, and accuses Soyinka of disrespect. The escalating clash over Obidients' tactics ahead of the next elections.
In a sharp rebuke, Datti Baba-Ahmed, the running mate of Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, pushed back against literary giant Wole Soyinka's criticism of the "Obidient" movement's supporters, asserting that Obi cannot rein in the massive grassroots effort while questioning whether Soyinka respects himself.
Baba-Ahmed lashed out at Soyinka in a statement on Saturday after the Nobel laureate decried the Obidients' overzealous online activists and urged Obi to call them to order. "Obi cannot control a movement — it's a momentum," Baba-Ahmed contended, arguing the Obidients were exercising democratic rights through peaceful civic engagement. "Soyinka should first of all respect himself before asking others to respect him."
The Obidients, a play on Obi's name and the word "obedient," became a cultural force backing his long-shot 2023 presidential bid. But the online movement also drew criticism for harassment of opposition voices, with Soyinka saying he had become a target of their "violent dismissal of others' views."
The clash underscores tensions over the Obidients' tactics as jockeying begins for the next election cycle. Baba-Ahmed accused Soyinka of being "disconnected from the realities of modern politics."
"Nobel laureates all over the world are loved and cherished by their people, not just their nationals but globally. I have never heard where Nobel laureates are insulted in the way that Wole Soyinka is," Baba-Ahmed said in an interview. "There is no way Peter Obi, with all the issues in front of him and my humble self, can control Obidients."
While saying Obi would not directly engage Soyinka, Baba-Ahmed claimed the Nobel winner's comments showed "he's scared that the end is looking very likely for his principal, for bad governance." Soyinka had said Obi was "unfit" to lead Nigeria and should not run again in 2027.
The war of words lays bare disagreements within the opposition over the Labour Party's future direction and how to harness - or curb - the Obidients' fervor. As the 2023 election fades, the clash foreshadows what may be a bitter battle to come.
