SOYINKA REVEALS HE ALMOST RAN FOR PRESIDENT, SLAMS JUNE 12 POLITICAL ‘HIJACKERS’

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has revealed that he once considered running for president during the post-June 12 democratic struggle but dismissed the idea after what he described as “36 hours of madness.”
Speaking at June 12: Romancing the Embers in Lagos, Soyinka said the calls for him to join the race came at the height of Nigeria’s transition crisis in the 1990s. “I told myself, ‘Wole Soyinka, you dey craze,’” he joked, saying he chose to return to writing instead.
He warned against the political hijacking of the June 12 legacy by individuals who took no part in the struggle but now exploit its symbolism. “These enemies of democracy are trying to rewrite history,” Soyinka said. He urged the younger generation to protect the truth of the movement and uphold its ideals of justice, free elections, and accountable governance.