Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described as atrocious the violence that characterised the presidential and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.
There were reports of violence ranging from setting the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission on fire, to the beheading of an unidentified civilian.
Soyinka, who rated democratic experience in Nigeria below 40 per cent, blamed the Rivers violence on political leaders and the military.
He gave his position in an interview with the Channels Television monitored by NE on Sunday afternoon.
He said, “If you talk about democracy, I am afraid, we are still below 40 per cent.
“There is no question in my mind that what happened in Rivers State during the presidential and assembly elections are, well, complete atrocious and the finger points definitely at the kind of middle character that I am talking about.”
According to Soyinka, election period presented the masses with the opportunity to address the wrongs done to them by leaders without resorting to violence. He said it was criminal for politicians to use violence to thwart the will of the people, who had waited till the election time to correct the wrongs being done to them over time.
“Elections are supposed to enable us to avoid response in violence to mis-governance; you know, you wait when you are dissatisfied or your rights have been abused; citizens wait for that moment when they can exercise their voice and then some bunch of criminals calling themselves governors, calling themselves generals, calling themselves ministers, conspire to thwart the will of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, a group of independent election observers has described the exercise as bloody and characterised by several irregularities.
The observers, who spoke under the auspices of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategies and Development, explained that the conduct of the polls in Rivers State was below international standard of electioneering. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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What has been your business with rivers State issues ? Are you a Rivers Man ? Why haven't you talk about all these underaged voting noticed in the North....Oh i now understand the reason why you are so much interested about Rivers State.....Just bcos Amechi pregnanted your daughter and has made you unofficial commissioner of education in Rivers State all these while,but sorry,it is now over..All those contract they gave you in Rivers State Education sector is over.
ReplyDeleteShut up, for your information, Wicked Wike whether you like it or not, you can never smell brick house. You and shepopotamus patience jonathan must go to jail for all these electoral atrocities you people have committed.
DeleteShut up, for your information, Wicked Wike whether you like it or not, you can never smell brick house. You and shepopotamus patience jonathan must go to jail for all these electoral atrocities you people have committed.
DeleteHello prof, please what is your take on Oba's threat to the igbos last week. We only seem to hear from you when it concerns Jonathan and PDP, but you don't speak about all the ills that goes on in APC. Please confirm if you are now a card carrying member of APC.
ReplyDeleteSoyinka is disappointed his cult member Amaechi has lost it. Until he also condemned the violent and rigging in Laos and in the north, he should not be taken seriously. His comment is partisan and is rather very unfortunate. All these our hitherto revered critics have turned themselves to partisan ones, just like falana who is APC lawyer attacking anything involving PDP. SHAME
ReplyDeleteProf! So if there had been no violence Amaechi would have won? What do you have to say about elections elsewhere? Why do you pick on Rivers? You are supposed to be an unbiased statesman please! I live in Port Harcourt, you were not here on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteProf Wole Soyinka is a BIG disapointment to the country, right from the onset your interest is just based on APC party, you are sentimental and tribalistic, what a shame!
ReplyDelete