Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has faulted a report by a newspaper of his purported selection to serve on a monitoring team for the forthcoming Supreme Court review of the case between Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress and Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The apex court on January 14, 2020, nullified the election of Ihedioha as the governor of the state and declared Uzodinma as the winner of the governorship election.
Ihedioha subsequently filed an appeal, urging the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment. The hearing of the appeal has been fixed for March 2, 2020.
The elder statesman, who said the online link of the newspaper’s report (not The Punch) was sent to him for perusal, noted in a statement on Tuesday night that he knew nothing of the development and was not involved in any aspect of the legal tussle.
He said, “That report claims that I have been engaged to serve on a monitoring team regarding a forthcoming Supreme Court review of that case. I know nothing of this development and I am not involved in any aspect of the tussle. I know nothing of this Third Force Democracy whatever.
“I have no intention of participating in any judicial monitoring activity and demand to be kept out of any such false attributions. Hopefully, some day in the distant future, it will be possible for the nation to regain the respect of the world in its democratic claims. That time, alas, is not immediately apparent.”

By Gbenga Adeniji