Funke Akindele’s protege, Nollywood actor and skit maker, Akinyoola Ayoola, popularly known as Kamo State, has explained the absence of the actress from the premiere of his debut cinema film, Star Lomo.
Kamo said Akindele missed the premiere because she was not in the country, dismissing speculation that her absence was linked to a disagreement between them.
The clarification followed reactions on social media over Akindele’s absence from Sunday’s premiere in Lagos, with some users questioning the state of the relationship between the actress and Kamo, who have shared a close relationship in recent years.
In a statement shared on X on Monday, Kamo said, “I woke up to see different opinions online about Iyamii and myself. Please, we’re on good terms.”
He explained that Akindele’s absence was simply because she was out of the country, adding that the actress had spoken with him about the premiere and would support the film.
He said, “She missed my premiere simply because she wasn’t in the country and nothing more to it, so please don’t assume otherwise.”
Kamo added, “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.”
Kamo’s relationship with Akindele became more prominent during the production and promotion of Everybody Loves Jenifa in 2024, after which he became closely associated with the actress.
He frequently appeared in content shared by Akindele on Snapchat, while the actress also hosted him and his wife and publicly supported some of his projects.
Through his association with Akindele, Kamo featured in projects including Aiyetoro Town Season 2, Behind The Scenes and Everybody Loves Jenifa.
The pair were also seen together at several events, with Akindele regularly showing support for Kamo.
However, their appearances together appeared to reduce earlier this year, with Kamo no longer featuring as frequently in Akindele’s social media content.
The development, coupled with her absence from the Star Lomo premiere, prompted some social media users to speculate about a possible disagreement between the two.
Some users also drew comparisons between Kamo’s relationship with Akindele and the actress’ past relationships with other protégés, including Juliana Oloyede, popularly known as Toyo Baby, and Tobi Makinde.
Akindele’s absence also attracted attention because Kamo held the Star Lomo premiere in Lagos while the actress was in Ghana with singer Waje, one of the cast members of her forthcoming film, The Four.
Kamo’s clarification, however, indicates that, according to him, Akindele’s absence was due to her being outside Nigeria and was not the result of any disagreement between them.