Power grabbers want to truncate Nigeria’s democracy - Soyinka
In an interview with Sahara TV, Nobel laureate,
Prof. Wole Soyinka, said 'illegal, sinister and
power-grabbers' are bent on scuttling the
country’s current democratic process, are
agitating for an interim government and that
president Jonathan knows these people.
“This is what bothers me deeply: There are
people who see this as an opportunity for
their own political and sinister activities in the
country. Therefore, we are not even united
against the dangerous enemy of the country.
The elections themselves are being used as
an opportunity of sowing bitter seed of
discord and for power-grabbing.
“It is now an established fact that there had
been moves towards scuttling the democratic
process by instituting a so-called interim
government. But the proof is there of some
participants in meetings for the formation of
an interim government. Why form an interim
government when there is an electoral
process?
"I went to President Jonathan and I asked
him, and he was to all appearances outraged
by the very suggestion. I remember he used
an expression, ‘If such a thing is going on it
is outside my wish or my will. After I have
been elected by the entire nation, isn’t being
the head of an interim government a demotion
and an undignifying position?’
“Maybe there are forces in operation in this
nation during this very critical period about
which he knows of that is the answer which I
could make and it is up to him to sort himself
out in contending with these illegal forces,”
“I believe that these elections, going by his
(Jonathan) body language… it is very difficult
to penetrate truthfully and deeply into the
minds of politicians… going by his body
language, I think Jonathan has no intention of
scuttling the elections.
“In other words, the elections would take
place but what kind of elections would we
have? And what might be the aftermath of the
elections? He has repeatedly said, ‘I’m going
back to Otuoke if I lose the election.’ I just
hope we don’t wake up one day with our
complacent attitude and find out that we, as
a people, have been overthrown by very
sinister, illegal and useless forces.” Soyinka
said