‘I can’t beg anyone anymore’ - Iyabo Ojo breaks silence on Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham feud

Iyabo Ojo has spoken about the recent trending issue between Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, and she wants it known that this will be the first and last time.

Two days after a viral clip from the premiere of her film The Return of Arinzo showed Funke Akindele appearing to ignore Toyin Abraham's greeting, Ojo took to Instagram to set the record straight.

Watch the video: Nigerians react as Funke Akindele snubs Toyin Abraham at Iyabo Ojo’s movie premiere

The statement, addressed to those she said had been insulting and maligning her character over the incident, pulled back the curtain on a years-long effort to keep the peace between two of Nollywood's biggest names, an effort she has now declared finished.

"I tried my very best to settle both of them, cried, knelt down, begged both parties to embrace peace," she wrote. They had agreed, and a reconciliation was brokered earlier. The evidence was visible as fans had seen Akindele and Abraham interacting warmly at a premiere just months earlier.

But the agreement came with a condition that there would be no shading online. Any grievance was to be addressed privately, off camera. That condition, Ojo says, did not survive December.

When Toyin Abraham publicly complained that her film Oversabi Aunty was being sabotaged in cinemas, fans pointed accusing fingers at Funke Akindele, whose film Behind The Scenes was simultaneously enjoying an extended and highly successful cinema run.

Behind The Scenes went on to gross ₦2.4 billion, while Oversabi Aunty crossed ₦1 billion, both significant milestones, but the gap between them was hard to ignore. Abraham's complaints, whether or not they were directed at Akindele specifically, landed in a space where the implication was obvious to everyone watching.

The fresh beef that followed unravelled everything the reconciliation had built, and Sunday night at the Balmoral Event Centre in Victoria Island was where the fallout became visible to the public.

Ojo also addressed a subplot that had largely gone unreported. Toyin Abraham had originally been cast in The Return of Arinzo but pulled out at the last minute, citing exhaustion and travel commitments. "I was upset because it cost me a lot to rewrite the story," Ojo admitted. 

However, Abraham apologised, and they made up. Still, it adds another layer to an already complicated evening because Toyin was supposed to be part of that premiere in a very different capacity.

Since the clip went viral, both Akindele and Abraham have unfollowed each other on Instagram. Abraham posted and later deleted a vow to never greet Akindele again.

Reactions have been divided, with some arguing Toyin broke the peace agreement by complaining publicly about cinema sabotage, while others point out that she could not have controlled how her fans directed their anger.

Ojo's position is clear. "I honestly don't want to get involved anymore. When both parties are ready, they will make peace. I love them both regardless."

The Return of Arinzo opens in cinemas nationwide on April 3rd.

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