‘Nollywood Actor’: I’ll Develop Entertainment Industry, Obi Replies El-Rufai
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reacted to the statement by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, that he (Obi) was acting Nollywood and could not win the presidential election.
Replying, the former Anambra State Governor said he would rather work hard to improve the entertainment industry.
Obi gave the reply on Sunday when he appeared on Arise Television’s ‘Sunday Show’ programme.
El-Rufai had while featuring on a TVC programme last week dismissed Obi’s chances in the forthcoming presidential election.
The Kaduna governor said, “He is polling in the Christian enclaves in the North but how many are they? Peter Obi cannot win the election. He doesn’t have the number of states, he doesn’t have 25 per cent in more 16 states, the last time we checked. He can’t go anywhere.
“Peter Obi is a Nollywood actor and that’s all he will be. This election is between the APC and the PDP because they have the footprint, they have the spread. Ethnicity and religious bigotry will not take you anywhere and that’s what the Labour Party campaign is all about,” he said.
However, Obi said he would focus on the Nollywood if elected president, calling on Nigerian actors to support him since El-Rufai had tagged him as one.
He said, “I thank El-Rufai for what he said, at least he gave me some percentages; I’ll work hard to improve on that. The entertainment industry is one of the engines that will develop us as a nation, I’ll focus on that and the Nollywood.
“And since he said I’m an actor, I’m calling on all those in the entertainment industry, including the Nollywood, to support me.”
Recall over his comment, saying “the statement is intended to belittle and demean the intellectual capacity of an actor. Using actors to make sarcastic examples of an unintelligent person is arrogant and condescending of a public office holder.
“The statement is very offensive and demeaning to the Actors Guild of Nigeria and Nollywood as a whole as it was purely intended to deride the acting profession.”
The Actors Guild sought a retraction and apology from El-Rufai.
