The Northern Chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN has threatened to split from the association if the appointment of Senator Elisha Abbo as a
The Northern Chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN has threatened to split from the association if the appointment of Senator Elisha Abbo as a patron of the guild is withdrawn, DailyPost is reporting.
Recently, Senator Abbo was appointed as a patron of the guild by the body’s president, Emeka Rollas but the appointment did not sit well with some Nollywood actresses who called for a withdrawal of the appointment following a recent case of assault on a nursing mother by the Senator.
Veteran actress, Hilda Dokubo led the call for Abbo’s immediate removal saying that an abuser of women cannot be appointed as its patron. So also Kate Henshaw who warned Rollas against appointing Abbo as a patron to avoid female members of the guild getting ‘slapped’ by the senator.
But, the Chairman of the Adamawa state chapter Jimi Lot said Abbo was appointed because of his philanthropic nature in the North, adding that he is not guilty of assault until proven so by the court. He explained that the Senator has apologised for his actions and hence should not be held down and denied appointment from the AGN.
He further warned that if the guild yields to pressure and withdraws Abbo’s appointment, the Northern actors will leave the association and form a new one.
Meanwhile, Emeka Rollas has defended his decision to appoint Abbo patron of the guild, saying that it would be unfair for people to see the lawmaker in a bad light even after he had apologised for his action.
Asked if he didn’t watch the video of Abbo slapping the lady, he replied: “You saw the slap, did you also see the apology.”
When further asked if such apology was enough, he said: “It doesn’t count. What you should be asking here is that did he come out to apologise? Yes, he did. Did the woman involved said she didn’t accept the apology in all of these that we are saying. When I mentioned morality and legality, you ask of who is holier than senator Abbo?.
“There was a committee set up in the senate on this same matter and the committee did not convict him. Is the Actors Guild of Nigeria a body to be used to do all of these? People should just go and sit down, there’s no point sentimentalising issues maybe just to drive a point.
“We know the stage where people who are fighting for human rights operate, not within the confines where AGN revolves. I don’t want to begin to mention names but if we begin to dig into people’s personal lives, those who raised the issue may not even stand the morality test, but I don’t want to go that way.”
Abbo had attracted negative attention after he was captured in a video beating a female attendant at a sex shop in Abuja in May 2019.
