Wednesday, July 22, 2026

APC paid me to campaign; I regretted it because of #EndSARS: Ronke Oshodi Oke

Oshodi Oke also expressed her disappointment in Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who initially claimed nobody died during the incident.

• July 7, 2023
Ronke Oshodi Oke
Ronke Oshodi Oke [Photo Credit: Vanguard News]

Nollywood actress Ronke Ojo, aka Oshodi Oke, says she regrets campaigning for the All Progressives Congress(APC) after the #EndSars protest at Lekki Toll-Gate, during the Nigerian military shot live bullets and killed several protesters,

During her recent interview with Chude Jideonwo, the actress said although the APC paid her during the campaign, she regretted supporting the ruling party after the outcome of the incident on October 20, 2020.

“You know, when the #EndSARS thing came up, I was so down, I was really, really down, I regretted working with them for that alone,” she confessed.

Oshodi Oke also expressed her disappointment in Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who initially claimed nobody died during the incident.

“Our Governor was saying three things at the same time” she complained.

While Mr Sanwo-Olu initially denied the casualties at the protest ground, many sources, including those from security sources, confirmed to The Gazette that several lives were lost.

At first, the army also denied its presence at the protest ground, claiming that the photos and videos were doctored. This was after a Nigerian celebrity, DJ Switch, recorded a live session of the incident.

The army later admitted the presence of its personnel but claimed that shots were only fired into the air to enforce curfew in the state.

Nonetheless, the 48-year-old actress said she had high hopes for the political party and trusted them to take the country to the “next level.” 

“I felt APC is going to take Nigeria to the next level. So even while we were campaigning for them, I didn’t collect much,” she said. “I wasn’t looking at the money; I was looking at what is going to happen later.”

The protest was a movement initiated by Nigerian youths who sought an end to police brutality and extrajudicial killings.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Ma Qiang

Africa

Chinese envoy, South Sudan governor pledge more cooperation in education

Chinese ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang and South Sudan’s Central Equatoria Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony met in Juba on Tuesday.

Ethiopian Airlines

Africa

Addis Ababa becomes leading African tourism destination

Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is rapidly establishing itself as one of Africa’s fastest-growing tourism destinations.

Magistrates’ Court

Anti-Corruption

Ekiti man arrested for multimillion-naira fraud

The defendant is facing trial on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and fraudulent conversion.

Nonye Soludo

Health

Soludo’s wife urges sleep, exercise for healthy brain

Anambra’s first lady, Nonye Soludo, has urged Nigerians to adopt healthy lifestyles to enhance their brain health.

Mykhailo Drapatyi

World

Zelensky names Drapatyi as Ukraine’s top general after firing Syrskyi

President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, after dismissing Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Rights

Mamdani challenges Trump to arrest ‘war criminal’ Netanyahu when he visits U.S.

He reaffirmed his support for the ICC warrant against Mr Netanyahu, insisting he must be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity.