Posted by The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has expressed regret for the way he phrased his criticism of Prof. Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Prize winner.
When Obidients attacked Soyinka for claiming that Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate, had recently used “fascistic language,” Moghalu had branded them as “uncultured and unlettered.”.
Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the election’s victor by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but according to Baba-Ahmed in an interview with Channels TV on March 22, the country does not yet have a president-elect.
Since the APC candidate “has not met requirements of the law,” he claimed Tinubu would be in charge of an unconstitutional government if sworn in.
Days after the comments, Soyinka responded in an interview with Arise TV, calling them “a kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that went against democratic principles.
In response to the Obidients’ criticisms of Soyinka, Moghalu stated on Thursday that the renowned playwright is a “phenomenon” that “unlearned and uncultured people may not fully understand in an age of lazy social media.”.
Soyinka is a principled fighter for justice, the former presidential candidate said, adding that he would endure the excessive criticism from the Obidients movement.
But Moghalu’s defense of Soyinka was met with a barrage of criticism, with many criticizing his choice of words.
On the other hand, Moghalu stated on Friday that he must retract his possible word choice.
“misinterpreted as a harsh condemnation of citizens who are suffering as a result of the election results.”.
“Last night, I mentioned Prof. In response to Wole Soyinka’s comments on Datti Baba-Ahmed’s remarks regarding the 2023 presidential election, I stated that WS is a principled advocate for justice and a phenomenon “that unlettered and uncultured people may not fully understand in an age of lazy social media in which many don’t read or think deeply.”.
He tweeted.
“I want to apologize for the phrase in quotation marks, which, on second thought, could be interpreted as a harsh judgment on citizens who are suffering as a result of the election results.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen. Though I have the utmost respect for Prof. Soyinka and Dr. Datti-Ahmed, I caution once more that there will always be dissenting voices and viewpoints in a democracy. While we are all accountable for the language we use.
“These voices are not invalid simply because we disagree with them or because they don’t share our political beliefs or the way we prefer to express our opinions. All of the leading candidates’ supporters must abide by this rule.
“Our nation is going through a difficult time, but I hope we can still disagree while remaining civil and reasonable. “