Why I regret campaigning for Tinubu in 2023 – Veteran Actor, Alapini

Veteran Nollywood actor Ganiu Nafiu, known as Alapini, has publicly expressed deep regret over campaigning for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.

He now joins a list of Nollywood stars, including Ronke Oshodi-Oke, who have publicly regretted supporting Tinubu and the APC following Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis.

Even Olaiya Igwe, a staunch Tinubu supporter who went naked in a campaign video for the president and Kwam 1, have decried the level of hardship in the country.

Famous for his iconic roles in Yoruba films such as Apesin, Eegun, Aiye, Koto Aye, Isese Lagba, and Agbara Ife, Alapini shared his frustration in a recent interview on Behind the Fame—African A-List TV.

Speaking in Yoruba, the actor lamented that the enthusiasm with which he and fellow actors supported Tinubu has turned into bitter disappointment.

“What they gave us is the hardship we are facing now,” he said. “We campaigned happily back then, thinking our messiah had come. We spent two months campaigning, no one went home, and we didn’t even go to work. Yet, nothing came out of it.”

Public backlash, second-term agenda

Alapini revealed that their campaign came at a significant personal and professional cost, especially in the form of online and offline backlash.

“People cursed us like mad. My friend Olaiya, the one who went to strip himself naked on the beach for Tinubu, was cursed heavily. Up till now, he hasn’t been free from the backlash. They keep sending it to him all the time.”

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Alapini clarified that the car he (Olaiya) was reportedly gifted was not from Tinubu’s campaign but from MC Oluomo before the elections.

When asked whether he would support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, Alapini responded bluntly, “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?”

He also criticised Seyi Tinubu’s recent philanthropic efforts in Northern Nigeria, questioning why the president’s son hasn’t extended similar support to Yoruba communities.

“Would Seyi claim he didn’t see us old folks when we were campaigning? Was he blind, or did he genuinely not notice our presence, the senior actors?”

“That 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?”

He discussed his acting journey, health battles, family losses, and political choices.

Personal losses, spiritual attacks

In the same interview, Alapini opened up about painful personal experiences.

He recounted the loss of a four-year-old child during a season marked by spiritual illness and extreme hardship.

“After returning from a show, I felt a spiritual attack, which I noticed while there. I later became seriously ill. I couldn’t sleep on the bed or the floor; I had been on a chair for a year. It was during that period that I lost my child, a four-year-old who met me on my way back from that show.

“Later, I also buried a 37-year-old after spending a fortune trying to save him. But I believe everything that happens is God’s will.”

He also blamed the naira redesign policy under former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele for adding to the country’s suffering.

“We were paying N3,000 to withdraw N5,000. Some people died because of it. Imagine being in the hospital and unable to get cash for treatment. That man caused serious pain.”

Yoruba Culture and Nollywood

Alapini also discussed the state of Yoruba culture in Nigerian filmmaking. While he praised Yoruba filmmakers for preserving Indigenous traditions, he acknowledged that cultural inaccuracies in some movies sometimes attract backlash.

He referenced a controversial film that featured masquerades (Eegun) and was criticised globally for misrepresenting traditions.

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“There were mistakes, and we were called out globally, even by people from Brazil and the Benin Republic. We acknowledged the error, but the backlash was excessive.”

Still, he insisted that proper cultural distortion often comes from outside the industry. He said, “We’ve been promoting Isese (tradition) for over 50 years, and we won’t let it collapse on our watch.”