Afrogospel singer Gaise Baba has publicly criticised The Headies, accusing the award organisers of sidelining faith-based music and failing to give gospel nominees their due recognition on stage.

The singer made his position known in an open letter addressed to the awards’ organising committee and dated August 28, 2026. He signed the letter from Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, and shared it publicly on X.

Gaise Baba said he has been active in the Nigerian music industry for more than 15 years, dating back to his first appearance at The Headies on October 20, 2012, when he was signed to Sanctified Records. He described himself as one of the leading voices in Afrogospel and said that history gives him standing to speak on the direction of the awards.

His letter centred on two points. First, he argued that gospel music should not be confined to a single “Inspirational” category but should be able to compete in mainstream categories on the strength of its craft. He wrote, “A rap record is a rap record,” insisting that subject matter should not determine genre classification.

Second, he recounted his experience as a nominee at last year’s Headies for the song “Particularly,” featuring Tope Alabi. He was nominated alongside Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Limoblaze in the Inspirational Music category. His team attended the media rounds, the pre-award reception at the United States Consul General’s residence, and the ceremony itself, but the category was never called on stage during a show that ran beyond five hours.

The Headies introduced the Inspirational category in 2022. For the upcoming 18th edition, scheduled to hold in Toronto, Canada, on October 25, 2026, six nominees are listed for Best Inspirational Single: Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor for “No Turning Back 2,” alongside Sunmisola Agbebi, Sinach, EmmaOMG and Mercy Chinwo. The full ceremony features 35 categories in total.

Gaise Baba also pointed to the reach of gospel songs such as “Favor” and “No Turning Back II,” asking whether any other record released this year has matched their cultural impact across the country.

However, the letter drew mostly critical responses online. Many users argued that gospel music should not seek validation from a secular award show. One user, Pius Adeleye, wrote directly to the singer, “First, you can’t speak for the Christian community.” Others accused him of contradicting his own stated position by campaigning for recognition under the same “gospel” label he said limits him.

A smaller number of users backed his argument, saying that music should be judged on artistic merit rather than subject matter, and that gospel songs have earned their place among the year’s most culturally significant releases.

The Headies organising committee had not issued a public response to the letter as of the time of this report.