Soyinka Is A Hireling, Says Edwin Clarke Led Group

A group of President Goodluck Jonathan supporters led by Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark yesterday described Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka of being Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s hireling even as the team operating under the name, South South Elders and Stakeholders berated the literary icon for slamming First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan.


The body which addressed a press conference with a statement signed by its Vice Chairman and former Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkenga at the Asokoro, Abuja residence of Chief Edwin Clark asked Rivers state Governor to quit the ruling PDP or wait to be expelled.

According to the statement: “We find it difficult to understand why Nigerians, including those acclaimed to be academics of International repute and serving Governors have decided to fan the embers of disrespect, arrogance, and absolute insolence of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi.

“We cannot comprehend the basis of the meddlesomeness of particularly some Northern Governors and busy body professors who have decided to carry the banner of the Rivers State internal crisis on their heads. When Governor Ameachi uncouth, ill-mannered, reminiscent of checkered upbringing, and unruly labels him (Jonathan) as an “authoritarian dictator” it is seen by these disgruntled apologists to be within the frame of normal political discourse.

“But when the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan makes an innocuous comment on the Rivers State crisis, these professors use the most virulent despicable grammar in the lexicon of Nobel laureates to qualify her. It is fictile, untraditional and unethical for a man to publicly insult another man’s wife as Africans.

“It is therefore confounding to see a supposed role model and responsible “husband” in the mould of our obtrusive professor to throw decency in the winds to publicly denigrate and disparage the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. We doubt if there is a woman of honour in his house.

“It would be necessary to ask our meddlesome and mercenary professor and his ilk who have so disdainfully cheapened the clout of Nobel Laureate what their stakes are in Rivers State? Air chauffeuring, perceived pecuniary losses or missed branded envelopes with the insignia of Rivers State?

“These busy body professors, self-acclaimed democracy defenders and solidarizing governors were silent when similar crisis erupted in other state Houses of Assembly and the House of Representatives under the leadership of Hon. Etteh culminating into the death of Hon. Dr. Safana.

“Where were these busy body professor, self-acclaimed democracy defenders and solidarizing Governors? How many Nigerian Governors from the North or West paid solidarity visit to Governor Nyako and other terrorist troubled states in the North?

“Whereas our impertinent professors and Governors are quick to condemn the purported impeachment of the Speaker of the Rivers state House of Assembly, the life threatening battering of Hon. Michael Chinda by his colleague, Hon. Chidi Lloyds aided by the Governor’s CSO and ADC is condonable in their myopic judgment.”

The Jonathan’s league of South south supporters also said the crisis in Rivers state is due “to failure in governance, failed schemes of a man in authority whose Machiavellian exploits to harness the state’s resources to private empire have become exposed. Yet, some mischievous Nigerians are unrepentant in pointing fingers at President Goodluck Jonathan and First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan as being responsible. This is most unfortunate, most callous and most horrendous.”

While calling on Amaechi to quit the PDP or be forced out, they said ” we therefore advise Governor Ameachi to resign honourably from his party to wage his war of acrimony against the leadership of the party. Failing that we call on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to take the stringent measures to expel him to bring sanity to the party and to serve as deterrent to other renegade members.”