Ronke Oshodi Oke, the Nollywood actress, says she regretted
campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) after what she saw during
the EndSARS protest.
In October 2020, Nigerian youths protested against the
now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police
Force.
The protesters demanded an end to police brutality. They
also seized the opportunity to demand better governance from the political
class.
In a recent interview with Chude Jideonwo, Ronke described
herself as a lover of APC.
She said she campaigned for APC but was disappointed in the
actions of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, during the protest.
The 48-year-old filmmaker said the “governor was saying
three different things” and claiming nobody died.
“I love APC. I’m a fan of APC, body and soul. I felt APC is
going to take Nigeria to the next level,” she said.
“So even while we
were campaigning for them, I didn’t collect much. I wasn’t looking at the
money, I was looking at what is going to happen later.
“All what they have been doing, I was thinking eight years
cannot fix Nigeria. We all know that. But when the EndSARS protest came up, I
was so down.
“I was really really down because our governor was saying
three different things at the same time. They said they didn’t kill anybody.
“But if one person died, fifty people have died with that
one person. The people that person is feeding, are their parents, and siblings.
“Before they get
themselves and get back on their feet might take five years. It is a thing of
the mind. Secondly, there were so many injuries.
“I saw some guys that could not use their legs, some people
had bullets in their bodies. So many injuries. I will not say I was mad but I
was really down. I regretted working for them for that reason alone.”
Born Ibironke Ojo-Anthony, the actress began her acting
career with a drama group called ‘Star Parade’.
In 2000, she came into the limelight after she was featured
in a movie titled ‘Oshodi Oke’, from which she got her stage name.
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