- …As Soyinka cautions members on partisan politics
The publisher of Secret Reporters, Mr Fejiro Oliver while admitting that he is a member of the dreaded Pyrate confraternity, has confirmed that former vice president, Namadi Sambo and the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi are also members of the Confraternity.
Oliver disclosed this in a Facebook post made with his verified handle while reacting to a video of members of the confraternity, dressed in their full regalia gyrating with a song to rule out one of the political parties candidates for being unhealthy and unfit to rule the country.
The video which went viral on social media was allegedly referring to the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, who has ‘Emilakan’ as a popular word attached to his campaign, meaning ‘It’s my turn’.
The song which was allegedly used to taunt Tinubu has the lyrics; “hand dey shake, leg dey shake, Baba way no well e dey shout Emilakan’.
Oliver, who frowned at the video, said it was in bad taste because the confraternity has members across different political parties.
He said, “I have watched the trending video of the revered and worldwide adored Pyrates Confraternity video, a beloved Association that I’m proud to belong to, where they ruled out Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a candidate in our ongoing convention taking place in Lagos State.
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“As customary with the fraternity to use songs to pass messages to society, towards condemning or supporting individuals, government or policies, I find this particular song in bad taste, especially with the way an uninformed member posted it on social media.”
While confirming that Sambo and Obi are members of the fraternity, he commended Obi for living up to the Ideas of Pyrates while holding sway as governor of Anambra state.
“Yes, Peter 0bi is one of us, a dedicated Pyrate who has led by the tenets we were baptised with. He has always promoted the ideals of Pyracy during his days as a Governor and has contributed to the frat as a whole. It is proper we support one of our own to ascend the number position in Nigeria after getting the number two in Namadi Sambo. We do know that with Peter Obi as President, the just society that we want will be achieved and the ills militating against a just society that we fight will be reduced.
“While it is in our inner consciousness to gyrate towards one of our very best to be President, it is improper to promote it publicly. In PDP and APC we do have many men who are time tested seadogs, men in very high places and the best where they are. We cannot publicly disown these men who support Tinubu with their whole life or will die for Atiku,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to the trending video, Prof Wole Soyinka has released an interim statement discrediting the move by members of the confraternity, describing it as a dubious political outing.
In a press statement signed and released by Soyinka on Monday, he said he does not interfere in nor attempt to dictate the partisan political choices of the Confraternity. He, however, stressed that the confraternity has never collectively made a statement of sponsorship or repudiation of any candidate.
The statement reads, “My attention has been drawn to a video clip making internet rounds, of a dancing and chanting group, in red and white costume, purportedly members of the Pyrates Confraternity. The display acidly targets a presidential candidate in the awaited 2023 elections. Since the whole world knows of my connection with that fraternity, it is essential that I state in clear, unambiguous terms, that I am not involved in that public performance, nor in any way associated with the sentiments expressed in the songs.
“Like any other civic group, the Pyrates Confraternity is entitled to its freedom of expression, individually or collectively. So also is Wole Soyinka in his own person. I do not interfere in, nor do I attempt to dictate the partisan political choices of the Confraternity. I remain unaware that the association ever engages in a collective statement of sponsorship or repudiation of any candidate.”
Soyinka said he finds the lyrics of the song very distasteful while cautioning that there will be dire consequences for those involved.
“This is clearly a new and bizarre development, fraught with unpredictable consequences to those involved.
“In addition, let me make the following cultural affirmation. I have listened to the lyrics of the chant intently and I am frankly appalled. I find it distasteful. I belong to a culture where we do not mock physical afflictions or disabilities. Very much the contrary.
“The Yoruba religion indeed designates a deity, Obatala, as the divine protector of the afflicted, no matter the nature of such affliction. This sensibility is engrained in us from childhood and remains with us all our lives. It operates on the principle of mortal frailty to which all humanity remains vulnerable.
“One of my favourite authors, about whom, by a coincidence, I had cause to write quite recently, was CLR James, author of The Black Jacobins, Beyond A Boundary etc. etc. I called him my ideological uncle. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease but remained alert, lucid and combative for decades after the onset of the disease.
“We interacted politically at the Tanzanian pan-African Congress, the Dakar Festival of Negro Arts and a number of other cultural and political fora. We met frequently in his lifetime, dined together in restaurants, despite his challenge. It would be unthinkable, and a desecration of his memory to be part of any activity that mocked his affliction,” the noble laureate added.
Soyinka noted that a further statement will be issued after inquiries into what he described as “the strange, uncharacteristic outing of the association” are concluded.
