Why I Haven’t Endorsed Any Politicians In Public -Tony Umez

Several famous people have made public endorsements of their preferred candidates for various offices as the general elections of 2023 get closer.

Veteran Nollywood actor Tony Umez responded to the trend by explaining why, in advance of the upcoming election, he has not publicly endorsed any candidate.

The seasoned actor said he hasn’t publicly supported any politicians because that isn’t how he supports them in a phone interview with our correspondent.

He said, “I haven’t because it’s basically not my style. But people who know me know whom I’m supporting or want to support.”

Umez noted that celebrities were free to endorse any politician publicly if they wanted to, adding that entertainers have the right to do so, whether they were paid or not.

He, however, noted that an actor can come out as an individual to support any politician but not as a representative of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, which according to him, is a non-partisan group.

“Whether the person is doing it for money or for him to be noticed so that he’ll gain some pecuniary things, I don’t know. But the person has a right to come out publicly to support and endorse someone publicly, but not under the group he belongs to or the guild he belongs to, but as an individual,” Umez told The PUNCH on Tuesday.

ENDORSEMENTS HAVE NOT BROUGHT ANYTHING GOOD TO THE IGBO SINCE 1979, SAYS NGIGE

He continued, “Yes, I can come out and say, ‘I Tony Umez I publicly endorse Peter Obi’, ‘I publicly endorse Asiwaju,’ and so on. It’s my right to do that. Whether I’m doing it for pecuniary gains or whatever, it’s my right to do that. You can’t take it away from me. You can’t.

“But when I say on behalf of AGN that I belong to, No! It doesn’t work like that.”

Some celebrities who have been vocal about their preferred political candidate include Jide Kosoko, Zack Orji, Eniola Badmus, and many others.

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