Veteran Yoruba actress Remi Surutu has announced her support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ahead of the 2027 general election.
She made the declaration at the launch of EKO57, a political support group established to mobilise public support for the president’s second-term bid.
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The launch, held in Lagos on Sunday, was attended by actors such as Yomi Fash-Lanso, Adams “Lege Miami” Kehinde, and others.
Speaking at the launch, Surutu said she was not concerned about public criticism over her decision to campaign for the president.
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She noted that she had supported Mr Tinubu since his days as governor of Lagos State and had repeatedly faced backlash online for her stance.
Thick skin
The actress said: “A day before the election (in 2023), they said to me that it was Asiwaju that I was following, who killed my child. But I care less. I still went on the second day to go and vote. Your vote is your right. Don’t let anybody deceive you. Don’t let anybody scare you. When I met Tinubu, our father, he was doing well. If you think he has not done well, suggest a man in your family. Let that person come and govern for just one day. Then you will know what is going on.
“I have said it myself, I am not backing out. I am going to campaign for him and vote for him. And he has my vote, and I am voting for him. And if you see anybody out there trying to scare anybody, if you plan to kill me, you are going to kill yourself. Because when you are going on your straight line with your good hearts, nothing happens to you. There are so many antipathies. When they want to take money, they will come, and I will be with you. They will leave, they will go to another place, I am with you.”
Nigerians are destroyers, not Tinubu
Surutu argued that many of the challenges currently confronting the country did not originate from the administration of Mr Tinubu, but rather from the actions and attitudes of Nigerians themselves.
She further stated that President Tinubu had, in many instances, quietly managed and contained several issues behind the scenes.
According to her, without such interventions, the country could have slipped into a far more serious crisis.
“We Nigerians would destroy things by ourselves. And uproot all those poles. And make it look so ugly. When you come back, you say it’s the government. Is that the government? We are the ones doing it ourselves. So there’s no point in us talking or saying it. My colleagues have said a lot before I got in there. Even when I got in there, I saw Yomi saying something about the government.
“Let me tell you, if we cannot train ourselves and put ourselves on a straight line and behave, we don’t have any reason for condemning the government. We are the government. We are the destroyer. We will come and say if it’s another party, they’ll do it well, they cannot do more than what is going on now. This man does not sleep. The wife is always travelling all over the place. The son, too, is moving around. How many politicians have you seen his son moving around?”, said Surutu.
She reaffirmed her unwavering support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), emphasising that she stands firmly behind Mr Tinubu.
“We are supporting him. We all know this government; there has been a lot of bickering, up and down. I have been in APC for so many years, which I will never deny till I grow old. Maybe if they change the party’s name. And we are the destroyers ourselves.”
He added that he personally mobilised support for the president in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election.
The actor explained that he joined forces with his colleague for EKO57 because his earlier support for Mr Tinubu in 2023 was easy.
“If you say this father (Tinubu) is not good, bring your own father. Okay, let me accept that he is not doing well, as you all claimed, but bring your father, who has a track record we can be proud of. They say his wife once ran and won a senatorial seat. Why can’t you take your own wife to be a senator? His daughter is a market woman leader, take your own to head the same position.
“His son is this and that; don’t you have a son as a politician? It is very simple. So why are you saying these silly things? Still, we have people who are supposed to understand how things are going. When you are talking about an increase in fuel price, the increase is everywhere; it is just that you don’t ask questions”, said Fash-Lanso.
Fuel price
The actor also criticised those who blamed Mr Tinubu for the rise in petrol prices and other essential commodities.
He added that the president couldn’t be held accountable for idle refineries or the sheer volume of fuel the country produces.
“How many metric tons do we produce compared to other nations? We have over 200 million citizens. How much do we produce per day, and how do we compare with countries that produce 37 million? There are 3 million. Qatar has about 3 million. So we need to start educating our people.
“Was it Tinubu that spoiled the refineries? It was some people who spoiled them. The money sent to the constituencies—what are they doing with it? So, the reason why we are gathered here and why we founded EKO57 is to support Baba because we know that he is doing so many things.”
READ ALSO: 2027: Tinubu directs his campaign group to donate rice to Nigerians for Ramadan, Lent
Backstory
At the launch of EKO57, Fash-Lanso, Surutu, Lege Miami, and other public figures have expressed support for Mr Tinubu, coming at a time when some Yoruba actors have expressed regret over unfulfilled promises by the APC.
While certain actors expressed disappointment, others who appear to have benefited from the party’s favour have actively renewed their support for the ruling party and Mr Tinubu ahead of the forthcoming elections.
In the lead-up to the 12 July 2025 Lagos local government elections, popular actors Foluke Daramola and Bidemi Kosoko were among the high-profile attendees at a major campaign event, lending their endorsement to the APC.
They joined party faithful, residents, and key stakeholders at the ‘APC Greater Kosofe Mega Rally’, where they backed the party’s candidates for Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Kosofe Local Government, and Agboyi-Ketu LCDA.
Notable candidates endorsed at the rally included Samiat Bada, the incumbent Mayoress of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA seeking re-election, and Moyosore Ogunlewe, the incumbent Chairman of Kosofe Local Government, who was also supported for another term.
