This comes after Soyinka fulfilled his 2016 promise to destroy his US green card when Trump won the presidential election.

Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records has potentially opened the door for Soyinka’s return.

In 2016, Soyinka stated that he would destroy his green card if Trump won, and he followed through on this promise after Trump’s victory.

Now, with Trump’s conviction, Soyinka said he might reconsider his decision and reapply for permanent residency in the US.

In a statement on Friday, Soyinka said, “Seeing that this trite, personal gesture attracted such inordinate attention at the time, let me answer the question before it is asked: Yes, I may choose to apply for restoration of my card of Permanent Residence, known as the Green Card. Possibly.”

He described the conviction as “daybreak on a new democratic promise”.

He said, “For millions in anguished parts of the world, certainly for us in vast swathes of the African continent, this is daybreak on a new democratic promise. The warning is clear. sooner or later, the clamour of equity breaks down the stoutest gates on guard across the citadel of impunity.

“The Trump debacle is a challenge also, a call to preparedness and steadfastness. Installed and putative fascisms – secular, military or theocratic – will extract from this only the wrong lessons, batten down and ‘crack down’ in self-protection.

“It is “Not yet Uhuru”, not anywhere close for humanity in our global village. Nonetheless, a celebration, albeit in a minor key, is justified.”