Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has dismissed long-standing rumours of a feud with fellow actress Genevieve Nnaji, saying there was never any personal conflict between them.
Speaking during an interview on Yanga FM, Omotola said reports of tension were largely created by fans and media narratives at the height of their careers.
“People don’t need to be best friends,” she said. “Na them start the quarrel before we know say we dey quarrel. So, we have to catch up with the quarrel. There was no quarrel.”
Asked whether there had been a prolonged disagreement before their collaboration on the film EJ, Omotola said the idea of a rivalry was based on public perception rather than reality.
“We were young, everybody dey do her own thing,” she said. “You know how the industry is. They pitch you against someone, talk, say na this one be the hottest girl, na that one be the hottest girl. That kind of tension go dey normally, but people dey read am as other things.”
She added that she and Genevieve Nnaji communicated normally behind the scenes and never had any disputes.
“Like behind film, we dey talk normally,” she said. “I’ve never been somebody you can sit to quarrel with.”
Omotola also noted that both actresses are reserved individuals, making public conflict unlikely.
“I’m not always around and she sees herself as that kind person, so where we want to see the quarrel?” she said.
“People dey read them as other things,” she added.
Over the past decade, Nigeria’s entertainment industry has repeatedly seen public narratives of feuds built around leading figures, often driven by fan speculation, media interpretation and social media commentary rather than confirmed personal conflicts.
One recent example involved Funke Akindele and filmmaker Kunle Afolayan. The issue emerged in February 2025 at the Lagos Business of Film Summit, where Afolayan spoke about film promotion practices, saying he would not “dance” on social media to promote a movie and describing the pressure to create online content as unsustainable.
Although he did not mention Akindele by name, online users interpreted the remarks as a criticism of her widely known promotional style.
Following the public reaction, Afolayan later clarified that his comments were not directed at Akindele and said he had “no personal issues” with her.
Akindele also responded publicly, stating that creative approaches differ across individuals and adding that “the sky is wide enough for everyone to fly.” Both figures stressed that there was no personal dispute, but the episode was widely framed online as a feud.
A similar narrative has surrounded Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, two of Nollywood’s most commercially successful actresses. Over several years, particularly during the December cinema seasons, fans and commentators have portrayed their simultaneous box office successes as a rivalry.
Comparisons of ticket sales, cinema records and promotional campaigns have often been interpreted as signs of tension.
Neither Akindele nor Abraham has confirmed any personal conflict. Both have appeared at industry events without incident, and neither actress has made any public statements supporting claims of a feud. The rivalry narrative has largely been sustained by public comparisons rather than by documented disagreements.
In the music industry, the most persistent example remains the long-running rivalry narrative between Wizkid (Ayodeji Balogun) and Davido (David Adeleke). Beginning around 2014, as both artists rose to prominence in Afrobeats, fans and media frequently compared their awards, international recognition and chart performance.
Social media posts and indirect remarks were often interpreted as jabs, fuelling repeated cycles of online debate.
Despite occasional moments where fans perceived tension, both artists have, at different times, downplayed claims of hostility and even performed at shared events and publicly congratulated each other.
