After June 12 Struggle, I Almost Ran For President — Soyinka

Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has revealed that he once seriously considered entering the presidential race in the aftermath of the June 12 pro-democracy movement—but ultimately abandoned the idea after just 36 hours of reflection, calling the notion “crazy.”

Soyinka shared this insight on Saturday during a media interaction at Freedom Park in Lagos, during an event titled “June 12: Romancing the Embers.”

His comments came shortly after President Bola Tinubu conferred national honours on several individuals recognized for their roles in the June 12 struggle.

When asked why he chose not to contest for political office during the transitional period that followed the annulled 1993 presidential election, Soyinka explained that politics had never aligned with his identity. While the idea briefly crossed his mind, he said, it was swiftly dismissed in favor of remaining outside the political arena.

“I did not; I was not interested; I wanted to go back to my writing; I wanted to go back to where I belong; I am not a politician.

“I must confess, however, that for about 36 hours, I did decide that we have a responsibility and I nearly accepted the nomination to run for office of President.

“After 36 hours, I said, ‘Wole Soyinka, you dey craze.’ Then I said, let me go back to what I love doing,” he said.

The playwright also came down hard on individuals who, in his view, trivialise the significance of the June 12 struggle, describing them as the real enemies of democracy.

“There are still a lot of misconceptions about June 12, even among those who participated, which is normal.

“When you have a movement like June 12, people come with different motivations. Some joined just to settle scores; some joined because they felt belittled or dehumanised by the conduct of the military. Others joined because they are against any form of dictatorship,” he said.

He added, “Many negative things have been written. I want it understood that we had betrayals, lots of inconsistencies, and a lot of opportunistic membership.

“We had treachery that cost many lives and pauperised hundreds. We had retributive activities even continuing after the termination of that particular regime.

“People now assume different roles, pretending and using the transition period.

“June 12 did not begin on June 12 and did not terminate on June 12. Many people—even when they want to settle political scores today, maybe over thwarted ambitions—try to trivialise June 12, instead of leaving June 12 alone. You didn’t participate, and nobody forced you to participate—leave June 12 alone.”

He said those who trivialised June 12 because of thwarted political ambition were the worst kind of enemies of democracy.

“If you see anybody making false claims, they have a right. It is your responsibility to say, ‘I know something about it; it didn’t go this way; the truth is this and that.’ That is legitimate.

“But those who invoke it just to trivialise June 12 because of thwarted political ambition are the worst kind of enemies of democracy.”

Prof. Wole Soyinka emphasized the importance of preserving the legacy of the June 12 movement, urging that its ideals be kept alive through active civic participation, public remembrance, and official recognition of those who made sacrifices for Nigeria’s democracy.

He stated that June 12 ought to be continually upheld through various forms of remembrance, including public gatherings, civic engagements, and official acknowledgements of those who lost their lives in the pro-democracy movement.

The Nobel laureate also pointed out that the national honours recently conferred by President Bola Tinubu, though commendable, did not fully acknowledge all deserving contributors to the pro-democracy struggle, noting there were notable omissions from the list.

Africa Today News, New York