L-R: Omoni Oboli, Lancelot Imasuen, Segun Arinze and Fidelis Duker
Finally, the presidential election has come and gone with some people in celebration mood while some others went home sulking and licking their wounds.
The people who may likely be saddened with the development are certainly Nollywood actors because most of them massively supported President Goodluck Jonathan in his second term bid.
At every opportunity they got, be it on social media or even on TV adverts, the actors didn’t fail to sing the praises of the president who, according to them, had imparted on their industry.
And since the last election didn’t favour their desired candidate, Saturday Beats asked some of them if they regretted the choice they made and most of them claimed they didn’t.
Actress Omoni Oboli, who may be regarded as a personal friend of the President as she showed her movie, Being Mrs. Elliot, in Aso Rock, said she has no single regret for voting Jonathan.
“I can never regret anything I do. I stood for what I believe in, not because of financial gain. At the end of the day, the victory goes to Nigeria. This election showed true democracy and I am proud of the man that I supported. He is a hero. He conceded graciously and that is the trait of a true leader. This is democracy and nobody should work against me because I supported Jonathan.”
Ace movie director, Lancelot Imasuen, who before now had not hidden the fact that Jonathan was his favoured candidate, said he would rather keep his opinion about the election to himself.
“It is just that I want to use the opportunity to celebrate President Goodluck Jonathan for his uprightness. If a man that has been tagged as weak and clueless demonstrated something we thought was almost impossible in Nigeria, I eternally want to celebrate him. I will never regret campaigning for Jonathan and if this election is done again, I will still campaign for him. Why would I regret supporting him? I was not coerced or bribed into it. I was not given money, I was convinced and I still stand by my conviction. If that would make me face the international court, I am ready to face it. While supporting Jonathan, I did not kill anybody; I was only using the word of mouth to convince people.”
Former Actors’ Guild of Nigeria president, Segun Arinze is another person who has dined and wined with the President on so many occasions. Of course, he is an ardent Jonathan supporter.
He said, “I stood for what I believed in and if I had the opportunity, I would do it all over again. I do not ever regret campaigning for Jonathan. If I believed in Buhari, I would have done the same thing. I wish him all the best and hope he would take the country to a better place. It is no longer about Buhari or Goodluck but about Nigeria. I am not a card carrying member of PDP; I supported the President because I believed he has done well for my industry and Nigeria as a whole. I am a Nigerian and I have every right to the freedom of expression. Being silent would be foolhardy on my part. In 2011, I was campaigning for Fashola, why was I not silent at that time? We are all Nigerians and I don’t think Buhari would victimise me because I supported Jonathan.”
Fidelis Duker, veteran filmmaker, is an avid supporter of Jonathan to the extent that he would even go to Otuoke, Bayelsa Sate for his welcome home party.
“I can never regret supporting President Goodluck Jonathan. When he is having a welcome party at Otuoke, I will be there with him. He has done very well and I am still very proud of him. It has never happened in the history of Nigeria where an incumbent will lose and he will walk away.”
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