The Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners of Nigeria has threatened to discipline veteran actor, Ebun Oloyede, aka Olaiya Igwe. It said he will be made to face a disciplinary committee, set up by the association, over a video that showed him praying nude for the victory of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, in the 2023 polls.
Confirming the news to Sunday Scoop, an actress and TAMPAN executive, Rose Odika, said that Olaiya had been summoned to face a disciplinary panel to explain himself.
She said, “He has the right to support whoever he wants to, but we have the moral justification angle. We are looking at the morality behind that advert (video). It is not about who he is supporting. It is about him breaching the code of ethics (of our association and industry.”
Asked if there were rules of engagement for TAMPAN members supporting politicians, Odika, who is the governor of the Oyo State branch of the association, said, “People have their free will to support whoever they want to. We were first citizens before becoming actors, so we have every right to be engaged in politics and how we are governed.”
However, when PUNCH reached out to Olaiya, he stated that he was not aware of such move by TAMPAN. He said, “I don’t know who discussed that with you. I did not hear anything about that. God bless you.”