Author Chimamanda Adichie has countered Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka’s comments that Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed is being fascist.

Soyinka in an interview accused supporters of Peter Obi known as Obidients of fascism over their alleged refusal to entertain corrective criticism as their “badge of honour”.

Chimamanda while speaking on the program, Politics in Nigeria on Arise TV disagreed with Soyinka, saying that fascist is a very strong word.

According to her, the word fascist can be used for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but not Datti and the Obidients.

“I have a lot of love and respect for Prof Soyinka but I disagree very strongly with him on this issue. Fascist is a very strong word and I don’t see any reason why Dr Datti’s interview was termed that way,” Chimamanda said.

“Fascist can be used for INEC because many Nigerians feel cheated & gagged; with all the violence that occurred during the elections, that is Fascist.”

Soyinka had said the comments of Datti towards the judiciary were unacceptable. The LP vice-presidential candidate said that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, would be leading an unconstitutional government if sworn into office because the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.

“Whoever swears in Mr Tinubu has ended Democracy in Nigeria. Mr President, do not hold that inauguration. CJN your lordship, do not partake in unconstitutionality,” Baba-Ahmed said in a Channels TV programme.

“I am taking this risks for the sake of my country. Yes, it is extreme and I am saying it. It was more extreme for Yakubu (INEC Chair) to issue that certificate (of return).

“It was reckless. He is putting all our lives in danger. All of us. I am telling you that on the 29th of May 2023, swear in Tinubu as this result is, you have ended democracy whoever you are.

“You cannot swear in people who have not met constitutional requirements. If you do that, you have done something unlawful, something unconstitutional.

“And I am repeating it, whoever does not meet the constitutional requirement must not, must never be sworn in. You said my name. If you like I can say it again. I am Datti Baba-Ahmed.”

Soyinka while speaking in a chat with Arise TV said Datti’s statement in its totality was unbecoming, unacceptable and dictating to the Supreme Court.

“I have never heard anyone threaten the judiciary on television the way Datti did. I heard the kind of menacing, blackmailing language that we were treated to by Datti. That kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation is not what I think we have all been struggling for,” Soyinka said.

“Nearly the totality of Datti’s comment in the interview was unbecoming. It was like trying to dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation, and whatever you think of the supreme court, it is an institution we all refer to sooner or later.

“But Datti kept saying, in his wisdom, that the supreme court must agree with me. That is what is known as fascistic language and it is not acceptable.”