Why I regret campaigning for Tinubu in 2023 – Veteran Actor
Veteran Nollywood actor Ganiu Nafiu, popularly known as Alapini, has expressed deep regret over his support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election campaign.
Alapini said he and several Yoruba film actors who publicly backed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda have been abandoned since the president assumed office.
He made the remarks during an interview on Behind the Fame – African A-List TV, a YouTube programme where he spoke candidly about his acting journey, personal struggles, health challenges, and political involvement.
Speaking in Yoruba, the actor lamented that the zeal with which he and his colleagues campaigned for Tinubu has been met with silence and disappointment, describing the experience as a bitter letdown.
He said, “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 criticised Seyi Tinubu, questioning why his philanthropic initiatives appear focused on the North while the Southwest, his own region, is being overlooked.
His words: “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.
“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 whether he would support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, Alapini said, “I haven’t thought about it yet. Maybe in this second campaign, the only support we’ll offer will be curses for anyone who votes for him. They should remember those who stood by them.
“Even if they’re not giving us anything, they should make life easier in the country. Baba is currently pursuing a second term in office. Should we keep using our energy just to end up cursing them?”