Wonders can never end as Kongi vie for Presidency:

NOBEL Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, will soon float a new political party. Named the Democratic Front for Peoples Federation (DFPF), the party is expected to be a platform for pro-democracy and human rights activists who want to run for political offices in 2007

A member of the upcoming party who is also a close associate of Prof. Soyinka, on condition of anonymity, told Daily Champion that if President Olusegun Obasanjo runs for a third term in office as is being widely speculated, the Nobel Laureate would challenge him for the nation’s top post on the platform of the party.

http://odili.net/news/source/2006/mar/3/508.html

In Nigeria, it is extremely impossible for technocrat or higly educated elements to be Nigeria's numero uno. Being An Activist does not make you a good leader. Prof should go and ask Chief Gani Fawehinmi who polls less than 300,000 in the entire country in the last election. He should remember his days in FRSC as well.

Professor Listen please!

@Akolawole, leave my capoon alone.
Is he not capable or better quailfied than ur man OBJ.

It is people like that discourage men of goodwill from contesting election, thus allowing mediocre to rule over us. Let me tell u, in some instance u contest in a election not neccesarily to win but to make and pass some message across.
Dumb u?? . His years at FRSC was the best, records are there for u to judge.

Talking about leadership what does it take to be a good leader :

1. Listen Hear.
2. Analytical Mind
3. Readyness to learn and apply.
4. Most importantly love for the country and his citizens.
5. Visionary and having a mission

All these and more my capoon has.


Long like Prof. Wole Soyinka, the Kongi man, my ever loving capoon
Long Nigeria

@Onanugaola


Practical politics is different from Paper or bookish politics.

Kongi should try to contest for the post of Abeokuta local goverment or Ogun state governorship seat and win and MAYBE he will be ready for Aso rock.

@Onanugaola

Looking at your list again, most expecially no 4.  "How could you marry that with somebody who was inviting the west to come and wage war against Nigeria when 99% of his immediate family lives in United States"

politics is a different ball game; Prof. Soyinka should steer clear unless he wants to loose his integrity.

@otokx, we need people of proven integrity to lead this country. he might not win the election but his candidacy alone will make some pretenders to have rethink. Remember Evil strive when good men keep quiet. the role of any reasonable man is to leave a place better than he met it.

@Akolawole, you need to be thorough in your analysis, that "he invited the west to come and wage war against Nigeria when 99% of his immediate family lives in United State".  Becos his family is resident in the United State does not disqualify from being a partriot. His role during NADECO -- the Abacha Era and ever good articulate advice to the outgoing Govt are outstanding.  Remember he is a literary Icon, recognize through out the world, he is making his money through hardwork and his family is bind to enough it. Not your man OBJ, some member of his family are in the U.S. also but how did he make his money-- from being in Government-- of course.
Waging War is more than phyiscal war (using of gun and weapon) it can be inform of economic and dilopmatic sanction with bearing great  pressure on the siting Govt. This approach has being proved to be effective and peaceful in changing the face of world eco-political situation, Nigeria did same for the independence of Angola, Zimbabwe and even South Africa.
These approaches were used by Martin Luther King for the Blacks in U.S.A., Gandi in India , Julius Nyerere- Great Teacher- in Tanzania and Papa  Madibo Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Prof. Soyinka is a man of Peace. He never be a violent man. He is a man of words and letter. When he speaks the world listen.

Were chance to watch his stage play "King Babu"? If yes what message was passed across.

Long Live Prof. Soyinks -- My great Capoon for ever
Long live Nigeria

@Onanugaola

I am not going to join issue with you with on the personality of OBJ & Kongi. We are discussing Osogbo but you are discussing Maiduguri.


If Gani Fawehinmi could get less than 300,000 in the whole of Nigeria i wonder how many votes Kongi will get !.

@Otookx

Just nothing to add.

@Akolawole, we differ in our point of views. While u a talking about election result and no of vote, I am talk about reasons while some people contest election - not necessarily to win but to prove a point and pass some message across. Rememeber the case of Green Party in German, for 40years contesting elections and losing but always putting environment issues in the front burner during the elections. Thus elections are not all about winning.

So the election is about participating ?

Ok, i hear you o

Soyinka is credible. He believes in the rule of law. He is an advocate for democracy. He is intelligent and would surround himself with intelligent people. He is well travelled and knows what the basic minimum standard of living is around the world and I know he will strive to improve the lot of the average Nigerian. Nigerians, please get rid of OBJ. Crown the Prof. QED.

@Dauda

Yes thats true but he can't win NOT even Abeokuta.

The issue is not whether he can win. The issue is whether he can perform. If he can convince the majority of Nigerians that he can perform, then he wil win in a free and fair election.

But can he perform? I doubt it. I'm sure he just wants to contest to make a point. He doesn't actually expect to win. The organizations in which he has been a leader haven't done very well. Or am I wrong?

Akolawole:

@Dauda

Yes thats true but he can't win not even Abeokuta.

Yes he can win if we ACTUALLY vote for him. The error we're comitting is to presuppose that he cannot win so we use that as the justification not to vote for him. Fawehinmi fell victim of the same thinking in 2003 even though he was popular. I don't want to believe Nigerians prefer looting 'owambe' politicians to upright citizens.

Since the EFCC allegedly go after anti-third term people will the EFCC be after the Prof. now

Wole Soyinka would make an excellent Nigerian president. He is articulate, absolutely de-tribalized, has a firm grasp of the history behind Nigeria's problems, would attack corruption with vigor, and is globally recognized as a man of unwavering conscience who would run the cleanest administration the nation has ever seen.

I would only take this opportunity to plead with Kogi to at least give his lion's mane a minor trim before hitting the campaign trail for 2007.

Does he have any track-record of leadership. At least President Obasanjo could boast about his chicken farm and secondary school, both of which are reputed to be of high quality. What solidly run organization can Professor Soyinka boast of?

@Seun
Thank you jare.

Can somebody go and ask even Chief Fawehinmi 's staff how well he is running that place, Nigerians will be Shocked

thats not my problem all those politician have chopped nclean mouth like my friend would say,

what i am sayin is that since people are sayin only those opposed to the 3rd term bid are being investigated by the EFCC , would the EFCC now follow the Prof.??

During the dark days of the Abacha military dictatorship in the early 1990's, Wole Soyinka founded Radio Kudirat, one of the few voices of dissent available within Nigeria at the time.    At grave personal risk a younger and brasher Wole Soyinka had decades earlier held up a radio station broadcast booth with a toy pistol so that the truth about a rigged election could not be suppressed by the powers that were at the time.

In the intervening years Wole Soyinka's writing has repeatedly placed himself in the gun-sights of state police teams and hit squads alike, on account of his consistent stand against the oppression of Nigeria's forgotten people - the poor.  As a consequence of his fight for the common good, Kogi has seen the darkest corners of the Nigerian prison system, but has emerged strengthened from each incarceration and more determined to speak the truth without fear.  Wole Soyinka would change Nigeria for the better if he were given the chance to do so, but in Nigeria 2007 Kogi will likely bow to the superior money- power of Nigeria's retired general political class.

Few mixed up here.

Kongi co-owned Radio Kudirat

He is not a sole fighter

Here are the few names:

Money were supplied by Ladoja, Tinubu,Pa Alfred Rewani and Abiola family


Kongi, Dan Suleman and few others were criss-crossing Benin Republic, europe and America WHILE


Bola Ige,Gani Fawehinmi,Baba Ajasin and few others are campaigning in Nigeria.


Soyinka in Prisons!
Maybe you want to mention Gani

what i am sayin is that since people are sayin only those opposed to the 3rd term bid are being investigated by the EFCC , would the EFCC now follow the Prof.??

If I hear tommorrow that Professor Soyinka is under investigation by the EFCC I'll know for sure that the claims are correct.

Akolawole, as you may recall, the writing of Wole Soyinka's book, " And The Man Died " was drawn from his experiences whilst in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT under a military dictatorship in Nigeria. Kogi paid his dues alright, though as you have pointed out Gani Fawehinmi has paid more dearly and more frequently over the years.

How is that relevant? Is there any president training school in prison?

Wole Soyinka for president.
When president he will dominate all these high school dropouts who are clinging to power in africa and people will pay attention to what he says when he speaks on behalf of the continent at any international meeting.
On the other hand an open-minded Nobel Prize in the Executive Mansion is way better than a taliban integrist cleric or a  5-star  general.

Thumb Up for an african intellectual with a panafrican dimension.


Read one of his interview about Darfour.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/18/1358206

Wole Soyinka ke I love the man, in fact I flew all the way to Washington state to watch a production of "Death and the King's horseman" and to meet and interview him personally, but to be honest, I dont think he will succeed as president. Why? Because the myriad detractors around will not let him. Wole Soyinka is an excellent intellectual, however, I dont think he will make a very good politician.

Tell Oga Wole that his Uncle has used up his grandchildren's quota so it should not cross his mind.

Wole Soyinka for president?

HALLELUYAH

Otoks,

Tell Oga Wole that his Uncle has used up his grandchildren's quota so it should not cross his mind.

who is his uncle? Are u refering to Fela's father

Thats a plus for the Uncle and his Army{National association of the Seadogs]

If there is anything the polity is agreed on, it is that the next president will not be of a yoruba extraction.

Yorubas wil disagree on that 'point' of yours, otokx. Besides all I care about is a good leader.