The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has finally reacted to criticisms trailing the body after some movie stars visited Bola Tinubu, 2023 presidential aspirant, last year.
In November, top film stars including Foluke Daramola, Harry Anyanwu, and Mr Ibu had graced an event endorsing Tinubu for the presidency.
The move had stirred up backlash on how politicians leverage the fame of entertainers to advance their campaigns.
Kassy Chukwu, a popular Nigerian cleric, was also said to have slammed the actors and the movie industry in a recent video.
But in a statement on Wednesday by McSmith Ochendo, its national taskforce chairman, the AGN said the actors who visited the presidential aspirant did not represent the guild.
It also described the controversial cleric’s comment as “very offensive and demeaning to the Actors Guild of Nigeria”.
The statement said the guild and the movie industry should not be “insulted” in such a manner over the actions of a few individuals.
“Our attention has been drawn to a trending video of one Apostle Kassy Chukwu, the self-acclaimed oracle of the nation. In the video, Apostle Kassy could be seen throwing curses and casting aspersions on some members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria who paid a courtesy visit to senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” it read.
“He went further to deride Nollywood industry, a sector that contributes over 5 percent to the nation’s GDP. This is very offensive and demeaning to the Actors Guild of Nigeria. The individual actors who visited Senator Ahmed bola Tinubu do not represent Actors Guild of Nigeria.
“As individual actors, they are at liberty to visit, promote and even endorse whoever they deem fit to occupy the highest office in the land.
“Actors Guild of Nigeria is non-political and non-profit making Association. It is any individual’s prerogative to support whoever they deem and it is not enough for one so called man of God to castigate and call out the whole of Nollywood and their families.
“It baffles us that a man who claims to be a servant of God could be seen throwing curses on members and families of the entire Nollywood. It is highly libellous.”
The AGN called on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to caution the cleric.
“We call on CAN/PFN and all other Christian bodies to call this nescience Pastor and his Luciferous preaching to order,” it added.
Daramola had earlier dismissed claims that she endorsed Tinubu for president.
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