The Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, responded to Kaduna State Governor Nasir El‑Rufai’s claim that he was “acting Nollywood” and could not win the election. Obi made his reply on Sunday during Arise Television’s “Sunday Show.” El‑Rufai had previously dismissed Obi’s chances on a TVC programme, saying, “He is polling in the Christian enclaves in the North, but how many are they? Peter Obi cannot win the election. He doesn’t have the number of states, he doesn’t have 25 percent in more than 16 states, the last time we checked. He can’t go anywhere. Peter Obi is a Nollywood actor and that’s all he will be. This election is between the APC and the PDP because they have the footprint, they have the spread. Ethnicity and religious bigotry will not take you anywhere and that’s what the Labour Party campaign is all about.”
Obi turned the criticism into a pledge, saying he would focus on Nollywood if elected president and urging Nigerian actors to support him. “I thank El‑Rufai for what he said, at least he gave me some percentages; I’ll work hard to improve on that. The entertainment industry is one of the engines that will develop us as a nation, I’ll focus on that and Nollywood. And since he said I’m an actor, I’m calling on all those in the entertainment industry, including Nollywood, to support me,” he said.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria condemned El‑Rufai’s remarks, describing them as an attempt to belittle and demean the intellectual capacity of an actor. In a statement, the Guild said, “Using actors to make sarcastic examples of an unintelligent person is arrogant and condescending for a public office holder. The statement is very offensive and demeaning to the Actors Guild of Nigeria and Nollywood as a whole, as it was purely intended to deride the acting profession.” The Guild has demanded a retraction and apology from Governor El‑Rufai.
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