Peter Obi visits Soyinka after public spat with supporters

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The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi on Sunday paid a courtesy call on Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

Obi shared photos of the visit on his Twitter page.

He tagged the photos, “Today, I visited one of Nigeria’s most revered figures and an international literary icon, Prof Wole Soyinka. Prof Soyinka has been a father whom I hold in very high 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.

“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 the civil war, fighting for the cause of the Igbos.

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“I cherished this Sunday’s visit which was intended to erase the needless misconceptions about the relationship between the great icon and the OBIdient family.”

Obi’s visit to Soyinka comes a month after the Nobel laureate had a public disagreement with the LP candidate’s supporters, popularly known as Obidients.

Soyinka, while lamenting voter suppression witnessed in some polling units in Lagos, equally accused Obidients of fascism by not entertaining ‘corrective criticism’.

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Soyinka’s April remarks attracted severe criticism from the Obidients on social media, especially Twitter, with many condemning the ‘fascism’ expression used by the octogenarian.

As a guest on Channels Television‘s Politics Today programme two weeks ago, Obi expressed sadness over the exchange and affirmed his immense reverence for Soyinka as a father.

He also spoke in the defence of the Obidients, saying they were only angry youths speaking out against a system that is rigged against them.

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