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The nominees are out. The category is stacked. And somebody is about to go home empty-handed on May 9 — probably more than one person who genuinely deserved it.
The Best Lead Actor race this year features eight names: Mike Ezuruonye (Oversabi Aunty), Lateef Adedimeji (Lisabi: A Legend Is Born), William Benson (To Kill A Monkey), Kanayo O. Kanayo (Grandpa Must Obey), Khumbuza Meyiwa (Bet I Love You), Uzor Arukwe (Colours of Fire), Wale Ojo (3 Cold Dishes), and Femi Branch (Red Circle). Eight men. One trophy. And the politics of AMVCA will decide who gets it.
Let's be real — Kanayo O. Kanayo is a legend, a living institution, and his name alone commands respect. But legends don't always win awards. They get nominated as a nod and then watched in silence as someone younger walks to the stage. If KOK goes home without that trophy again, it will be the biggest snub in Nollywood award history. Full stop.
Then there's Lateef Adedimeji, who is somehow nominated in both the Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories — for different films. The man had an entire year while the rest of Nollywood was filming. If he doesn't win at least one of them, somebody needs to explain the judging criteria from scratch.
Wale Ojo in 3 Cold Dishes delivered one of the most quietly devastating performances Nollywood has produced in years. The kind of acting that doesn't scream — it just sits with you. And that's exactly why he probably won't win. AMVCA has never been shy about rewarding noise over nuance.
Uzor Arukwe in Colours of Fire is another one who deserves more than just a nomination and a round of applause. He's been consistently excellent, consistently nominated, and consistently overlooked. At some point that pattern stops being coincidence.
Femi Branch is a crafted, deliberate actor who quietly outperforms expectations every single time. But Red Circle didn't get the cultural noise that Lisabi or Gingerrr got — and in an awards season that rewards buzz as much as brilliance, that matters more than it should.
Someone in this category is going to deliver a speech. Seven others are going to clap. May 9 will tell us everything we already suspected about how these awards really work.
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