Ganiu Nofiu, the Nollywood actor known as Alapini, has expressed regret over his decision to campaign for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 elections. 

In a recent interview on ‘African A-List‘, the filmmaker revealed that he and other actors supported Tinubu out of “genuine admiration” for his past contributions to the film industry, not for “financial gain”.

He disclosed that he and over a hundred other actors dedicated two months to campaigning for Tinubu, neglecting their work and personal lives in the process.

However, Alapini lamented that they have received no compensation or recognition for their efforts.

“We had to abandon all our work to campaign for Tinubu. During the campaign, we were not fighting for our own pocket but genuinely for the well-being of the citizens,” he said.

“We campaigned happily back then, thinking our Messiah had come because Tinubu is someone we love and he had contributed positively to the industry, which is why we supported him.

“We campaigned for two months, and nobody went to work or home. We were not compensated probably they are not yet in the right frame of mind to do so.”

The actor also directed criticism at Seyi, Tinubu’s son, questioning why his philanthropic efforts seem “concentrated in the north” while “neglecting the southwest”.

“Will Seyi Tinubu claim he didn’t see us, the old actors, when we were campaigning? We were over a hundred actors, both old and young, walking around and reaching areas some people can’t even access,” he said.

“We weren’t given anything before the campaign. We just did it out of love for the person who asked us to, and because Tinubu is someone we genuinely love, so it was voluntary.

“…Seyi is running around the north paying their hospital bills. Aren’t there sick people in Yorubaland too? How many hospitals has he visited here to pay bills for the sick?”

When asked if he would campaign for Tinubu again in 2027, Nofiu said he has no such intentions.

“I haven’t thought about being involved in his second term campaign. They should reflect and acknowledge those who supported him during the first term campaign,” he said.

Nofiu is not the only Nollywood star to express regret over supporting Tinubu’s administration.

In 2023, actress Ronke Oshodi Oke disclosed that she regretted campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) after witnessing the events of the EndSARS protests.

[TheCable]