Nobel Laureate and academic, Wole Soyinka, said he had advised President Bola Tinubu not to run for the presidency.
He also revealed that he gave the same advice to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar but both ignored him.
He made the revelation in a chat with journalists after his Christmas visit to President Tinubu on Sunday.
The award-winning writer explained that the reason for his advice was for the duo to step down for younger contestants.
The literary icon added that he had submitted a seven-point agenda to the President during the visit he described as an “embarrassing” one.
He said, “I came here with a seven-point agenda. And we had a very thorough discussion on those items,” Soyinka told reporters after the visit.
“Actually, it’s an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office.
“I told Atiku and himself to please leave the ground so young people could run. That’s the last time we met about five years ago.
“So I came to see how he was doing after ignoring my advice. I came to see how both he and his wife were weathering Nigeria, and to wish them a Happy Christmas.”