One of Nigeria’s most versatile entertainers, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has taken a swipe at Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, over his comments on the supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023 election, Peter Obi.
Charly Boy, who is one of ex-Governor Obi’s supporters, called OBIdients, spoke following Soyinka’s statement on Friday.
In the statement on Friday, Soyinka said he was in support of the position of Nigeria’s musician, Seun Kuti, that OBIdients were a put off.
He wrote among others: “By the way, I do agree with Seun Kuti; ‘Obidients’ is one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions I ever encountered in any political arena.”
Reacting via his Twitter handle on Saturday, Charly Boy said he has lost the respect he has for Soyinka, which was like that he had for his late father and Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, who many called by the sobriquet: Socrates.
He also said Soyinka has turned to the “boyiboyi” of criminal politicians in the country.
“Boyiboyi” in Pidgin English in Nigeria means an errand boy.
Charly Boy tweeted: “The kin respect I had for dis man, was almost the kind of respect I had for my stainless father, The Socrates of the Supreme Court.
“It has finally dawned on me that Soyinka can never be the man Chinua Achebe was.
“Look at a man many Nigerians put on such a high pedestal reducing himself to a boyiboyi for criminal politicians.”