The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has named prominent entertainers to its campaign council. Veteran actor Jide Kosoko, filmmaker Toyin Abraham, and Fuji artist Pasuma are among the 33-member Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate. The list was released by the Kadri Obafemi Hamzat Media Centre on Thursday. The council will be inaugurated on Friday, 18 September 2026, at the APC Secretariat on ACME Road, Ikeja.
Nigerian politicians have courted entertainers for decades. In the Second Republic, musicians composed campaign songs for parties. In the 2000s, Nollywood stars endorsed candidates. In 2019, actor Desmond Elliot won a Lagos Assembly seat. In 2023, several entertainers served on campaign councils. The pattern is transactional. Parties gain visibility. Entertainers gain access and patronage. The relationship rarely produces policy.
The directorate is led by Toke Benson-Awoyinka as Director. Kosoko is Co-Director. Eniola Badmus is Deputy Director. The list includes Oga Bello, Saheed Balogun, Bukky Wright, Fathia Balogun and Yinka Quadri from Nollywood. The Fuji contingent includes Pasuma, Obesere, Adewale Ayuba, Malaika, Osupa and Small Doctor. The directorate is one of several structures under the campaign council. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is Chairman. Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat is Deputy Chairman. Former Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is Director-General.
The political logic is straightforward. Lagos is the entertainment capital of Africa. Its creative industry shapes public opinion. Engaging its stars gives the APC a cultural footprint. It also neutralises potential opposition. Entertainers who join the campaign are less likely to criticise the government.
The risk is credibility. Voters increasingly view celebrity endorsements as transactional. A Fuji star’s support does not move votes the way it did in the 2000s. Social media has decentralised influence. The same platforms that made these entertainers famous now amplify scepticism.
Winners: The listed entertainers, who gain access and visibility. The APC, which projects cultural relevance. The directorate’s leadership, which gains political capital. Losers: Entertainers not listed, who miss the patronage. Voters, if the council substitutes celebrity glamour for policy substance. The entertainers themselves, if the association damages their brand with younger audiences.
Bottom Line: The APC has assembled a formidable cultural roster. Whether it converts into votes is another matter. In Lagos, the party’s machinery, not its celebrity list, decides elections.