CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE RESPONDS TO SOYINKA'S FASCIST REMARK AND EXPLAINS WHY

Chimamanda Adichie, a well-known Nigerian writer, has responded to Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka's claim that followers of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, known as Obidients, are fascists.

Soyinka accused Obidients of fascism in an interview with Channels Television on Saturday, citing their claimed inability to hear corrective criticism as their "badge of honor."

Soyinka also accused the Labour Party's vice presidential candidate, Baba Ahmed-Datti, of being a fascist after he declared in an interview with Channels that President-elect Bola Tinubu should not be sworn in.

Commenting on the controversy that had erupted on the internet, Chimamanda disagreed with Soyinka, stating that the word fascist is a very harsh one.

The term fascist, she claims, can be applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, but not to Datti and the Obidients.

She said, "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.

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