Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has challenged Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to a live debate on national television.
This follows Datti’s recent interview with Channels TV where he stated that there is no president-elect in the country despite the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announcing Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the election.
Recall that Prof. Wole Soyinka criticised Datti’s remarks and called them a “kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that goes against a democratic disposition.
In a statement on Friday, Soyinka offered to engage Datti or any nominee of his on the platform “on this very bone of contention – one-on-one – without the malodorous intervention of media trolls, and with the same interviewer as mediator.”
He further stated, “To sustain that penalty is to give joy to others who turn the internet into a soak-away for their rancid emissions, yet feel that others should be silenced.”
Soyinka’s statement has been met with criticism and abuse from some on social media platforms, but he remains firm in his stance and willingness to engage in a debate with Datti.
Wole Soyinka also condemned the ₦5 million fine imposed on Channels Television for airing the interview with Datti.
