President Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Woke Soyinka
By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja –
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to back Iyiola Omisore as the new National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wole Soyinka in his argument maintained that Mr Omisore, remains a prime suspect in the unsolved murder case of Bola Ige, who the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice..
The Nobel laureate made his position known on Saturday in a statement titled ‘Perhaps Closed Files Should Remain Just That – Closed?’.
He noted that there was a subsisting pledge to reopen the files on the spate of unsolved political assassinations by the current administration.
He wondered how it was possible that the APC, headed by President Buhari, had now selected one of the prime suspects in the Bola Ige case as its National Secretary if it was really serious about prosecuting the unsolved murder.
“With the emergence of the said prime suspect as National Secretary of the Ruling Party, is the Inspector-General of Police equipped to confront political obstacles in a resumption of investigation? Is there any guarantee that the result will see the light of day? How suspect, ab initio, will be the conclusions, given the present political ordering?
“I repeat: we are speaking of blatant, undeniable exercise of POLITICAL interventions during investigations and the arraignment of suspects. Prior incumbency of the position of National Secretary of a ruling party has demonstrated the potent interventionist clout that can be wielded from that office. The president has personally received, and thus anointed the new incumbent. Since he remains central to any re-investigation – whatever form or direction it takes – just what value of objective assessment can be placed on the presidential pledge?
“To this layman, that investigative revisit is already hamstrung and disrobed of credibility. I think the nation should simply relieve President Buhari of his pledge. I am certain the Inspector-General of Police will be equally relieved and can now turn his mind and energy to the national accustomed posture – Business as Usual.
