Soyinka emerges DFPF party chairman

Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Saturday in Lagos emerged the national chairman of the newly registered party, the Democratic Front for a Peoples Federation (DFPF).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Soyinka was elected unopposed at the party's convention held at Ikeja Airport Hotel.

In his post election address, Soyinka said that the DFDF came on board to sanitize and transform Nigeria's nationhood into a democratic sanctuary for all her citizens.

`The DFPF for now is disinterested in the overall national scene.But after taking control in one state, one council, one ward, would begin to reach out through example to others, gradually evolving a civic rule that governs and performs through mutual collaboration'' he said.

Soyinka said that this political model of the DFPF was practiced in many parts of the world and urged INEC to allow the party to limit itself to activities within one state.

He expressed concern that the nation has been "sucked dry while a minority is so lubricated that they slip out of grasp when their hands are caught in the till''. ``Let this party resolve to overturn the iniquitous arrangement by which the national cake is swallowed entirely by those whose appointed task is to serve the sovereign electorate'', Soyinka said.

He said that there was a need to change the nation from the daily routine of brutish existence where the once unthinkable and unacceptable have become the norm. ``These and other anomalies will occupy the minds of this new party and their associates until the full transformation and re-humanization of the nation'' he added.

The Nobel Laureate said that the DFPF was ready to work with parties whose written or unwritten manifestoes are in the spirit DFPF.

He disclosed that the late Beko Ransome-Kuti and late Chima Ubani were founding members of the party which was denied registration when it was first founded in 2002.

In a goodwill message, the Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Tunde Bakare, said that he was at the convention to identify with Soyinka.

NAN reports that Niger Delta female activist, Ankio Briggs and the president of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerrima Shettima, were in absentia elected woman leader and vice chairman North East respectively at the convention.

Also at the convention were Mr Tony Urantta, of the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy, Afenifere Renewal Group spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin and Joe Odumakin, of Campaign for Democracy, among others.

Soyinka as always is not an arm chair critic. He is always in the thick of the battle. He did it during the nigerian civil war. He took the federal road safety job as a challenge to curb the carnage on the road and when ibb wanted to be funny, he left. Remember also that he was in the battle front during the days of june 12 struggle. He founded radio kudirat that was used to fight the military junta of sani abacha. I however call on all progressive minded nigerians to close rank so that we can salvage nigeria- from the north, south, east to west.

I have faith in Soyinka and those he associates with. May his ideals turn a reality in our present time..