Nollywood actor and skit maker Akinyoola Ayoola, popularly known as Kamo State, has addressed speculation surrounding Funke Akindele’s absence from the premiere of his debut cinema film, Star Lomo.
The filmmaker and entrepreneur said Akindele could not attend the Lagos premiere on Sunday because she was outside Nigeria, insisting that there was no disagreement between them.
Akindele’s absence had generated reactions on social media, with some users questioning whether the actress and her protégé were still on good terms after their close association over the years.
Reacting to the speculation in a statement shared on X on Monday, Kamo said their relationship remained cordial.
“I woke up to see different opinions online about Iyamii and myself. Please, we’re on good terms,” he said.
The skit maker explained that Akindele had discussed the premiere with him before the event and had expressed her intention to support the movie despite being unable to attend physically.
“She missed my premiere simply because she wasn’t in the country and nothing more to it, so please don’t assume otherwise,” he said.
Prompt News reports Kamo further appealed to fans and social media users to avoid speculating about his personal relationship with the actress, saying the focus should remain on his new film.
“We’ve spoken about it, and she’s going to support this film. I’d appreciate it if our personal relationship isn’t speculated on. Let’s keep our focus on the film,” he added.
Kamo’s association with Akindele became more prominent during the production and promotion of Everybody Loves Jenifa in 2024. He subsequently became a regular presence in content shared by the actress on social media.
Akindele also hosted Kamo and his wife and publicly showed support for some of his projects. Through their professional relationship, Kamo featured in projects including Aiyetoro Town Season 2, Behind The Scenes and Everybody Loves Jenifa.
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The pair were also frequently spotted together at different events, with Akindele often publicly supporting Kamo’s work.
However, their appearances together appeared to become less frequent earlier this year, with Kamo no longer featuring as regularly in Akindele’s social media posts.
That change, combined with Akindele’s absence from the Star Lomo premiere, fuelled speculation among some social media users that there could have been a disagreement between the two.
Some users also compared the situation with Akindele’s previous relationships with protégés such as Juliana Oloyede, popularly known as Toyo Baby, and Tobi Makinde.
Attention was further drawn to Akindele’s absence because Kamo’s Lagos premiere took place while the actress was in Ghana with singer Waje, who is part of the cast of her upcoming film, The Four.
Kamo’s statement, however, made it clear that, according to him, Akindele’s absence was simply a result of her being outside the country and was not connected to any rift between them.
