Veteran singer and social activist, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy has criticized Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka for his comments criticising supporters of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign after making a statement denouncing Labour Party vice presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Prof. Soyinka referred to Baba-Ahmed’s statement in an interview that swearing in a candidate who was proclaimed the winner without fulfilling constitutional requirements would put an end to democracy as “fascistic.”
However, he received harsh criticism for using the word “fascism” from Obi’s supporters, known as Obidients, and the prize-winning author retorted by arguing that their reluctance to accept criticism confirms his prior viewpoint.
“A climate of fear is being generated. The refusal to entertain corrective criticism, even differing perspectives of the same position has become a badge of honour and certificate of commitment.
What is at stake, ultimately is – Truth, and at a most elementary level of social regulation: when you are party to a conflict, you do not attempt to intimidate the arbiter, attempt to dictate the outcome, or impugn, without credible cause, his or her neutrality even before hearing has commenced. That is a ground rule of just proceeding. Short of this, Truth remains permanently elusive,”
he said in part.
Charly Boy responded to his statement by saying that he used to revere Soyinka almost as much as his late father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
All of it, he claimed, is now lost since the esteemed poet has become little more than an errand boy for corrupt politicians.
He wrote;
“The kin respect I had for dis man, was almost the kind of respect I had for my stainless father, The Socrates of the Supreme Court.
It has finally dawned on me that Soyinka can never be the man Chinua Achebe was. Look at a man many Nigerians put on such high pedestal reducing himself to a boyiboyi for criminal politicians.
