Veteran actor Zack Orji faced a storm of online abuse after leading a pro-President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rally in Abuja on Saturday, with Nollywood peer Yul Edochie also caught in the crossfire.
Orji fronted the event for the Re-elect Tinubu For Inclusive Nigeria movement, which campaigned under the banner "Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria." The rally gave the actors a public platform to back the president, but it also handed critics a target.
Social media users did not hold back. They questioned why celebrities would attach their names to political campaigns when many Nigerians are struggling with inflation, fuel prices, and economic hardship. Some accused the actors of abandoning their craft to become political cheerleaders. Others suggested they had been paid or coerced into the appearance.
Edochie, who has been outspoken on national issues in the past, found himself lumped with Orji in the criticism. His involvement in or proximity to the rally prompted questions about his political leanings and whether he too had chosen a political side.
The backlash reflects a broader tension in Nigeria's entertainment industry. Celebrities hold outsized influence, and their endorsements carry weight. When they campaign for politicians, fans and critics see it as a choice to use that influence on one side of a divisive national conversation. For many Nigerians, the economic situation has not improved since Tinubu took office in May 2023, making cheerleading for his government feel tone-deaf.
Orji and Edochie have not issued public statements responding to the criticism as of now. The RTIFN movement has not commented on the backlash either.
