Chimamanda Expresses Support for Baba-Ahmed, Disputes Soyinka’s “Fascistic” Claim

Summary:

• Acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie disagreed with Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka’s characterization of Datti Baba-Ahmed’s comments on election results as “fascistic.”
• Baba-Ahmed called for President Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria not to swear in Bola Tinubu as president-elect, claiming it would be against the constitution and end democracy in Nigeria.
• Adichie expressed hope that opposition parties challenging the election results in court would receive a fair hearing, despite concerns about recent Supreme Court rulings.

Lagos, Nigeria (MandyNews) — Acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie expressed her disagreement with Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka over his characterization of Labor Party vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed’s recent comments on election results as “fascistic.”

Adichie, known for her thought-provoking works and strong advocacy for social justice, shared her opinion during an interview with Charles Aniagolu, News Anchor and Special Correspondent for Arise TV News in London.

On Wednesday, March 22nd, Datti Baba-Ahmed appeared on Channels TV’s Politics Today, where he called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria not to swear in Bola Tinubu as the president-elect. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tinubu the winner and issued him a certificate of return, but Baba-Ahmed insisted that doing so was against the constitution.

Baba-Ahmed’s comments during the interview, in which he emphasized that “whoever swears in Mr. Tinubu” has “ended Democracy” in Nigeria, drew significant criticism from political stakeholders and resulted in a N5 million fine for the TV station. Professor Soyinka responded to the interview, describing Baba-Ahmed’s remarks as a “kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that contradicted democratic principles.

Soyinka argued that the Labor Party vice-presidential candidate tried to “dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation,” which he found unacceptable. However, Adichie, during her interview with Aniagolu, voiced her disagreement with Soyinka’s portrayal of Baba-Ahmed’s comments as fascistic.

Adichie, who holds Soyinka in high esteem, noted that she rewatched the interview to determine if she had missed something.

She acknowledged that “fascist” is a strong word, often associated with authoritarianism and right-wing populism. Adichie did not see any reason for Baba-Ahmed’s interview to be labeled as such, as she believed he made a strongly felt point about the elections.

Baba-Ahmed’s argument centered on the notion that if Nigeria’s democracy is rooted in its constitution and a person is sworn in who has been elected unconstitutionally, that act would effectively end democracy. With opposition parties challenging the election results in court, Adichie expressed hope that they would receive a fair hearing.

However, the author also shared her concerns that recent rulings by the Supreme Court have not made sense to many people, casting doubt on the fairness of the legal process. Despite these doubts, Adichie remained optimistic that the courts would do the right thing and deliver justice.

“There’s reason to doubt that because the Supreme Court has had rulings that didn’t make sense to most people, but I’m optimistic that they will do the right thing and people will get justice,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a critically acclaimed and award-winning author, has long been an influential voice in Nigeria and around the world. Her perspective on the recent election controversy adds another layer of nuance to the ongoing debate about democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.

As the situation unfolds, the country and international community will be watching closely to see how Nigeria’s democratic institutions handle the challenges presented by this contentious election.

The outcome will have significant implications for the country’s political landscape and the future of its democracy.

Charles Aniagolu: “I understand you have a lot of respect for Professor Soyinka and I’d like to get your thoughts on the Nobel laureate’s assertion on Arise News about reactions to the election results by the Labor Party’s vice presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed. Professor Soyinka described his comments as fascistic. Do you see that as part of the demonization of Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, as some have suggested? Or do you agree that Datti Baba Ahmed overstepped the bounds and Professor Soyinka was justified in calling him to order?”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: “I still hold Professor Soyinka in high esteem. I have a lot of love and admiration for him as a thinker and a writer. I think everyone should read The Man Died and Ake, as his memoir is beautiful. However, I disagree strongly with him on this particular issue. Because I respect Professor Soyinka so much, I went back and watched the interview. I believe “fascist” is a really strong word, and I didn’t see any reason for Mr. Datti Baba Ahmed’s interview to be termed that way. He was making a strongly felt point about the elections, saying that if our democracy is rooted in our constitution and you swear in a person who’s been elected unconstitutionally, you are ending democracy.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: “The opposition parties are challenging the election in court. Do you think they’ll get a fair hearing? I hope they will. There’s reason to doubt that because the Supreme Court has had rulings that didn’t make sense to most people, but I’m optimistic that they will do the right thing and people will get justice.”