Wole Soyinka rejects both Atiku, Buhari, urges Nigerians to do same
Foremost Nigerian Nobel Laureate, playwright and social critic, Professor Wole Soyinka has declared his rejection of both the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and that of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari.
He made his position known at the Citizen Forum, which was an interactive session held at the Freedom Park in Lagos on Thursday to engage with Nigerians on the direction of the country.
Soyinka urged Nigerians to choose a new direction by voting for alternative candidates in the forthcoming elections instead of being enslaved permanently to the old discredited order.
Although he has not yet endorsed any particular candidate, he revealed that a similar session was being held in Abuja and after they reach a consensus, a credible candidate that they can support will emerge.
“I don’t believe in what is called negative vote, which means, for me, throwing your vote in a wastebasket, I believe instead in a creative vote, not a protest vote, not a negative vote but a creative vote. And a creative vote means that the will to at least sow a seed through your vote that will germinate eventually,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, let me make my position quite clear because I don’t want any ambiguity; I Wole Soyinka will not be voting for either the two so-called contesting parties. I find both of them worthy of absolute rejection.”
He concluded by saying that a dark horse will rise from nowhere and dismantle all the political juggernauts and their capacity for violence and treachery.
