Nollywood actress and filmmaker Iyabo Ojo has said she will no longer mediate in the ongoing rift between her colleagues, Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, following fresh tensions that have reignited conversations within the industry.
Ojo made this known in a lengthy post shared via her Instagram page on Tuesday, where she addressed criticisms trailing her involvement and clarified her past efforts to reconcile both actresses.
“For those of you maligning my character, insulting me, and calling me unprintable names, this is for you!! Now, I need to set the record straight. This is the first and last time I will be talking about anything like this……”
She disclosed that her relationship with Akindele dates back years, although it had experienced periods of disagreement.
“Funke and I have been friends for the longest, but there were times we fell out, fault on both sides. I once came online to drag Funke because of Toyin’s movie. That was a wrong move on my part; I should have handled it better.”
According to Ojo, she later reconciled with Akindele and took deliberate steps to mend the strained relationship between her and Abraham.
“Funke and I later made up, and we addressed all our issues and put them behind us. I tried my very best to settle both of them, cried, knelt down, begged both parties to embrace peace which they both later did, reason you saw them a few months ago interacting with one another.”
She explained that the reconciliation came with an understanding that both parties would avoid public disputes and resolve issues privately.
“…but there was a condition, no one was to shade online if any issue arose, they both promised to address it off camera…”
However, she noted that the agreement broke down following controversies that emerged in December over a cinema release.
“…but unfortunately, Dec came, Toyin made some complaints about her movie in cinemas claiming some people or person was trying to sabotage her, some fans pointed accusing fingers towards Funke, that sparked up a fresh beef.”
Ojo also spoke on the circumstances surrounding Abraham’s absence from her upcoming movie project, The Return of Arinzo, stating that the actress had initially been part of the production.
“About The Return of Arinzo, Toyin was suppose to be in it but she said she was exhausted, and she also had to travel, so she pulled out last minute, i was upset boos it cost me alot, to rewrite the story, but the show must go on… she apologized, we made up, and the rest is history.”
Despite her efforts, Ojo said she has decided to step back from any further reconciliation attempts, stressing that she no longer wishes to be involved in the dispute.
“Honestly, all this saddened me because the sky is big enough for all. I have tried my best, but at this point, I can’t beg anyone anymore. I honestly don’t want to get involved anymore. Please, you all should respect that… when both parties are ready, they will make peace… I love them both regardless.”
She also used the opportunity to promote her film, noting that The Return of Arinzo is scheduled to premiere in cinemas nationwide from April 3.
The development comes amid renewed public attention on the relationship between Akindele and Abraham after a viral video from the Sunday premiere of Iyabo Ojo’s film at the Balmoral Event Centre in Lagos.
In the clip, Abraham was seen greeting Ojo and other colleagues, including Mercy Aigbe, while Akindele appeared to ignore her, keeping her gaze elsewhere as Abraham moved on.
The incident has since generated widespread reactions on social media, with fans speculating about unresolved tensions between the two actresses.
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