Nollywood actor Aremu Afolayan has apologised to Nigerians following backlash over comments he made at a recent EKO57 campaign gathering, a political support group mobilising for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The event, held on Sunday, brought together several Nollywood figures, including Yomi Fash-Lanso, Remi Surutu and Adams Kehinde, among others, to rally support ahead of the 2027 general election.
During the gathering, Afolayan openly endorsed the president’s re-election and appeared to dismiss concerns about the rising cost of living, stating that he was not affected by the economic hardship facing many Nigerians.
The brother to filmmaker Kunle Afolayan also downplayed reports of insurgency, describing them as exaggerated.
“When you watch the news about insurgency, don’t mind them, it’s all scripted,” he said in a video from the event that later went viral.
The remarks triggered widespread criticism on social media, with many Nigerians accusing the actor of being insensitive and alleging that he had been paid to make the statements.
Apology, Clarification
In response, Afolayan issued a public apology in a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, saying his comments had been misunderstood.
“I’m sorry. The curse has been too much, and I didn’t offend anyone but just went wrong. I picked what I shouldn’t have picked,” he said.
“My heart is heavy because I’ve hurt a lot of Nigerians. The second narration concerns insecurity, and it’s obvious that insecurity is in town and everywhere in Nigeria, and the government isn’t doing anything about it.”
The actor explained that his intention was to highlight the seriousness of insecurity in the country, not to deny its existence.
“What I was trying to say in the video was that if you saw anybody shouting ‘they’re coming from this side’ and someone on the news was saying ‘don’t worry, nothing is happening, be calm, don’t answer that person’ because they were reading a script, that was all I was trying to say,” he said.
“My best friend’s mother was kidnapped… How could I say there’s no insecurity? We didn’t bring it out because we had to pay millions of people to get her released.”
Withdrawal From Politics
Amid the backlash, Afolayan also announced his withdrawal from partisan political activities, stating that he would no longer support any candidate in future elections.
He maintained that his attendance at the EKO57 event was not politically motivated but driven by his appreciation for what he described as increased accessibility to local government officials.
“Due to this heat and curse I have received, I’m saying I’m at my lowest stage… I’m withdrawing from everything to do with politics and standing with my people. Please forgive me,” he said.
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