By Yushau Abdulwasiu
Actress Toyin Abraham has distanced herself from Lagos All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, adding that “I am staying out of politics” and asking the public to disregard her reported membership of the council.
This was contained in a news recently released by The Punch Newspaper while actress Abraham was saying “I’m not a member of any campaign council. I have said it recently. I am staying out of politics. Please disregard the supposed inclusion of my name in any campaign committee.”
Abraham was listed as a member of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate of the campaign council unveiled by the Lagos APC on Thursday ahead of the 2027 elections. She was listed alongside actors Jide Kosoko, Eniola Badmus, Bimbo Akintola, Adebayo Salami, Saheed Balogun and Bukky Wright, as well as Fuji musicians including Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Obesere and Adewale Ayuba.
However, reacting to the list in an Instagram Story on Thursday, Abraham said she had not joined any campaign council and had recently made her position clear.
The development comes three years after Abraham’s public support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election triggered sustained criticism and personal attacks against her on social media.
In March 2023, The Punch had reported where actress spoke about the backlash during a Twitter Space, saying some supporters of Peter Obi had petitioned Netflix to remove her films from its platform and had also targeted brands associated with her. She shared screenshots of messages urging Checkers Custard to drop her as an ambassador and described receiving daily curses and insults directed at her, her husband, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and their son.
One of the incidents involved an X user identified as Big Ayo, who had made a post accusing Abraham of using money allegedly linked to Tinubu to pay for a hair transplant for her husband. Abraham denied the allegation and reported the matter to the cybercrime authorities.
Big Ayo was subsequently released from police custody amid an online campaign and pleas calling for his release.
The arrest and its aftermath triggered another wave of criticism against Abraham. Some social media users threatened to report her films to streaming platforms, while others circulated messages urging Netflix to remove her movies.
Amid the controversy, Abraham made an emotional Instagram Live appearance in July 2024 in which she described the sustained online attacks and said she had been pushed to the limit.
“I want to die,” she said during the broadcast, while also saying that her child had been cursed and that she had been subjected to prolonged bullying and defamation. PUNCH reported that she said she had only exercised her rights as a citizen by filing a petition with the cybercrime department.
In another statement during the same period, Abraham said she could tolerate insults directed at her but would not accept attacks involving her children.
The actress’s latest decision to distance herself from political campaigning therefore follows a history of controversy surrounding her political involvement, particularly after her support for Tinubu in 2023.
The Lagos APC campaign council, meanwhile, lists Toke Benson-Awoyinka as Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, with Kosoko as Co-Director and Badmus as Deputy Director. Abraham remains listed as a member of the 33-person directorate in the published council document despite her public rejection of the reported appointment.
SHAFIHI ABDULRASHEED is a communication strategist and media professional with expertise in public relations, strategic communication, and crisis management. A graduate of the University of Ilorin with a degree in Sociology and currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace and Security Studies, Shafihi holds the professional credential of Associate, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (ANIPR). His career spans media relations, perception management, policy communication, and organizational leadership. He possesses over a decade of experience working with government, non-profit organizations, and private sector clients on matters of strategic communication and public engagement.
