Lagos politics has begun to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the All Progressives Congress unveiling a campaign structure that brings together familiar political figures alongside some of the biggest names in Nigeria’s entertainment industry. The list released on Thursday, September 17, 2026, immediately drew attention because several actors, musicians and creative personalities appeared among the names assigned roles in the campaign machinery. Their presence gives the entertainment section of the structure a distinctly recognisable face, with personalities whose careers have kept them in the public eye for years now appearing in an organised political framework.
The names, however, are not simply presented as a collection of celebrities attached to the Lagos APC campaign. They have been placed within a specific Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, which forms part of a much wider campaign council created for the 2027 elections. That distinction becomes important when the individual positions are examined because the responsibilities attached to Jide Kosoko, Eniola Badmus and the other personalities are different from the top positions overseeing the entire campaign structure.
The published list also contains an important development involving actress Toyin Abraham, whose name appears among the members of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate. Her subsequent public response on Friday, September 18, 2026, adds another layer to the story and means the original list cannot simply be treated as the final account of her political involvement. With the campaign structure scheduled for formal inauguration on September 18, the names, positions and subsequent developments provide a clearer picture of how the entertainment component fits into the Lagos APC’s preparations for 2027.
Lagos APC unveils 2027 campaign structure
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress released its campaign structure for the 2027 general elections on Thursday, September 17, 2026, setting out the various positions and directorates that will form part of its campaign machinery. The structure goes beyond the entertainment personalities that have attracted public attention, covering several areas required for the organisation of a statewide political campaign, including administration, finance, legal matters, party affairs, information and communications technology, diaspora engagement and grassroots coordination.
The formal inauguration of the campaign structure was scheduled for Friday, September 18, 2026, at the APC Secretariat on ACME Road, Ikeja. The timing places the announcement within the party’s preparations for the next general election cycle, while the published structure provides an indication of the different areas where members have been assigned responsibilities.
At the top of the overall campaign council is Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu, who was named Chairman. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat was named Deputy Chairman, while Ojelabi Cornelius was listed as Vice Chairman I. Mudashiru Obasa was named Vice Chairman II, with Damilola Sonayon James taking the position of Vice Chairman III.
Musiliu Obanikoro was named Director General of the campaign council, while Rasaq Ajala was listed as Deputy Director General and Adekunle Olayinka as Campaign Secretary. These positions belong to the wider campaign structure and are separate from the directorate created specifically for entertainment and creative economy activities.
Where the celebrities appear
The entertainment personalities are grouped under the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, which is one component of the larger Lagos APC campaign structure. The directorate contains 33 listed members and brings together people from different areas of Nigeria’s entertainment industry rather than concentrating exclusively on Nollywood actors.
Toke Benson Awoyinka was named Director of the directorate, while veteran actor Jide Kosoko was named Co Director. Eniola Badmus was listed as Deputy Director, Akeem Alimi, popularly known as Ajala Jalingo, was named Secretary and Dare Olateju was listed as Assistant Secretary.
Those positions explain the place of some of the most recognisable entertainment names in the structure. Jide Kosoko, for example, is not the overall Director General of the Lagos APC campaign council. His published role is specifically Co Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, meaning his position sits within that particular section of the wider campaign organisation.
Eniola Badmus also has a defined role within the same directorate as Deputy Director. The remaining personalities are listed as members of the directorate, creating a group that includes established Nollywood figures, Fuji musicians, indigenous music personalities and other entertainers.
Jide Kosoko’s role in the campaign structure
Jide Kosoko is one of the most recognisable names attached to the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate. The veteran actor was listed as Co Director, placing him among the senior figures responsible for that particular section of the campaign council.
Kosoko has had a long career in Nigeria’s film and theatre industry, making his inclusion particularly notable because his name is already familiar to generations of Nigerian movie audiences. His role on the published campaign list, however, should be described according to the position assigned to him rather than presenting him as the head of the entire Lagos APC campaign council.
The wider campaign council has a separate Director General in Musiliu Obanikoro, alongside its Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Vice Chairmen. Kosoko’s position therefore belongs specifically to the entertainment and creative economy component, where he is listed alongside Toke Benson Awoyinka, Eniola Badmus and other members.
His name is also significant because the directorate does not appear to have been designed around only one section of the entertainment industry. The list places a veteran actor such as Kosoko alongside actors from different generations and musicians with strong followings across Lagos and the wider Southwest.
Eniola Badmus takes Deputy Director role
Eniola Badmus is another prominent Nollywood name occupying a leadership position within the directorate. She was listed as Deputy Director, placing her directly below the directorate’s top leadership in the published structure.
Badmus has remained a familiar face in Nigerian popular culture through her acting career and public appearances, making her one of the more recognisable names among the personalities listed. Her inclusion alongside senior actors and established musicians gives the directorate a broad entertainment profile rather than a structure dominated by one particular creative profession.
Her position also illustrates the difference between being listed as a member and being assigned a specific responsibility. While several names appear simply as members of the directorate, Badmus has been given the title of Deputy Director, while Akeem Alimi and Dare Olateju have also been assigned administrative positions as Secretary and Assistant Secretary respectively.
The structure therefore contains several layers of responsibility within the entertainment directorate, with the leadership positions appearing at the top of the published list before the wider group of actors, musicians and creative personalities.
The full Entertainment and Creative Economy list
The published list contains 33 names. Toke Benson Awoyinka is listed first as Director, followed by Jide Kosoko as Co Director and Eniola Badmus as Deputy Director. Akeem Alimi, also known as Ajala Jalingo, appears as Secretary, while Dare Olateju is listed as Assistant Secretary.
The remaining members include some of the most familiar names associated with Yoruba language cinema and Nigerian entertainment. Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, appears on the list, alongside Abiola Adebayo, Saheed Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Foluke Daramola and Bukky Wright.
Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun, Kikelomo Balogun and Yinka Quadri are also listed. Their presence adds more established Nollywood names to the directorate, with several of them having spent decades building careers across Nigerian film and television.
The list continues with Bopo Oyekan Ismaila, Rasaq Yusuf, Aderinola Philips, Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi, Olamide Maja, Abbey Lanre and Tayo Sobola. These names extend the group across different generations of Nigerian entertainment personalities.
The music side of the directorate becomes more visible further down the list, with Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Abas Akande Obesere, Sulaimon Alao Adekunle, popularly known as Malaika, Adewale Ayuba and Akorede Babatunde Okunola, popularly known as Osupa, among the listed members.
Temitope Adekunle, known professionally as Small Doctor, is also included. The final names on the published list are Sule Adiro Ataweye, Yemisi Falaye, Leke Babatunde Akinrowo, Kayode Fahm and Aruna Ishola.
The Nollywood names on the list
The acting contingent is one of the most visible parts of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate. Jide Kosoko and Eniola Badmus occupy leadership positions, while Adebayo Salami, Abiola Adebayo, Saheed Balogun, Remi Oshodi and Foluke Daramola are among the other actors listed.
Bukky Wright and Bimbo Akintola are also included, alongside Fathia Balogun, Kikelomo Balogun and Yinka Quadri. The group represents a mixture of veteran performers and actors who have remained active within Nigeria’s modern entertainment industry.
Tayo Sobola is also listed, while Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi appears at number 19 on the original published list. Her name subsequently became a separate point of attention after she publicly rejected the reported inclusion on September 18, 2026.
That development is important because the original APC list and Abraham’s later statement represent 2 separate pieces of information that need to be presented together. The published document contains her name, but her subsequent public response disputes her membership of the campaign council.
The Fuji music connection
The Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate also has a strong representation from Fuji and indigenous music. Wasiu Alabi Pasuma is among the listed members, bringing one of the most recognisable Fuji names into the campaign structure.
Abas Akande Obesere is also listed, while Sulaimon Alao Adekunle, popularly known as Malaika, appears alongside Adewale Ayuba and Akorede Babatunde Okunola, popularly known as Osupa. These musicians have established careers within different strands of Nigeria’s indigenous music culture.
Their inclusion gives the directorate a different character from a conventional political committee made up primarily of party officials. The published list deliberately combines entertainment personalities from film, music and other creative areas within one directorate.
Small Doctor, whose career is strongly associated with indigenous Lagos street culture and popular music, is also listed under his real name, Temitope Adekunle. Aruna Ishola appears among the final names, further strengthening the representation of indigenous music within the group.
Toyin Abraham’s name creates a separate development
Toyin Abraham’s inclusion requires particular attention because the actress later publicly rejected the reported membership. Her name appears as number 19 on the published list released by the Lagos APC, but on Friday, September 18, 2026, she stated publicly that she was staying out of politics and asked members of the public to disregard reports identifying her as part of the campaign council.
That response changes how her inclusion should be reported. It would be inaccurate to present her as having confirmed her membership simply because her name appears on the original published document. The clearest description is that Abraham was named in the APC’s published list and subsequently denied being a member of the campaign council.
Her response also demonstrates why the published list and individual public statements need to be treated separately. A name appearing on an organisational list establishes that the person was included in that document, but it does not by itself establish that the person has personally confirmed the appointment or publicly declared political support.
The 33 names at a glance
The published Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate list begins with Toke Benson Awoyinka as Director and Jide Kosoko as Co Director. Eniola Badmus is listed as Deputy Director, while Akeem Alimi, also known as Ajala Jalingo, is Secretary and Dare Olateju is Assistant Secretary.
Adebayo Salami, Abiola Adebayo, Saheed Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Foluke Daramola, Bukky Wright, Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun and Kikelomo Balogun follow among the listed members. Yinka Quadri, Bopo Oyekan Ismaila, Rasaq Yusuf and Aderinola Philips are also included.
Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi appears at number 19 on the original list, followed by Olamide Maja, Abbey Lanre and Tayo Sobola. Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Abas Akande Obesere, Sulaimon Alao Adekunle, Adewale Ayuba and Akorede Babatunde Okunola are among the music personalities included.
Temitope Adekunle, Sule Adiro Ataweye, Yemisi Falaye, Leke Babatunde Akinrowo, Kayode Fahm and Aruna Ishola complete the 33 member list. Abraham’s subsequent denial remains an important qualification to her appearance on that original document.
How the entertainment directorate fits into the wider council
The entertainment directorate represents only one part of the Lagos APC’s 2027 campaign structure. The wider council contains political leadership positions and directorates responsible for areas that extend far beyond entertainment and creative activities.
The overall structure is headed by Babajide Sanwo Olu as Chairman, with Kadri Obafemi Hamzat serving as Deputy Chairman. Ojelabi Cornelius, Mudashiru Obasa and Damilola Sonayon James were named Vice Chairman I, Vice Chairman II and Vice Chairman III respectively.
Musiliu Obanikoro occupies the Director General position, with Rasaq Ajala as Deputy Director General and Adekunle Olayinka as Campaign Secretary. Other parts of the structure cover legal and compliance functions, party affairs, administration and logistics, finance and fundraising, ICT, diaspora engagement and grassroots coordination.
That broader arrangement places the entertainment personalities within a defined part of the campaign organisation. The actors and musicians are therefore not the entire Lagos APC campaign council, and their directorate should not be presented as though it represents every major appointment made by the party for the 2027 campaign.
Why the names attracted attention
The entertainment directorate stands out because of the sheer number of recognisable personalities appearing together on one published list. Instead of limiting the creative economy section to a handful of entertainers, the structure contains 33 names spanning film, Fuji, indigenous music and other areas of popular entertainment.
The combination also brings together performers from different generations. Veteran names such as Jide Kosoko, Adebayo Salami, Yinka Quadri and Aruna Ishola appear alongside younger or more contemporary entertainment figures such as Eniola Badmus, Tayo Sobola and Small Doctor.
The list therefore provides a snapshot of the personalities the published campaign structure has placed within its entertainment and creative economy component. Their roles vary, with some given leadership responsibilities and others listed as members.
The formal inauguration scheduled for Friday, September 18, 2026, gives the structure a specific point in the campaign calendar. The publication of the list on Thursday, September 17, followed by the scheduled inauguration the next day, also means that the structure emerged publicly at a time when the party was moving from the announcement of names towards formal campaign organisation.
The difference between inclusion, role, confirmation
Political campaign lists can contain several layers of information, and the Lagos APC announcement is easier to understand when those layers are kept separate. The first layer is the published list itself, which identifies the names and positions assigned within the campaign structure.
The second layer concerns the specific responsibilities attached to those names. Jide Kosoko is listed as Co Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, while Eniola Badmus is Deputy Director. Toke Benson Awoyinka is Director, and Akeem Alimi and Dare Olateju occupy the Secretary and Assistant Secretary positions.
The third layer concerns how individual personalities respond to their inclusion. Toyin Abraham’s September 18 statement is relevant at this point because she publicly rejected the reported inclusion and asked the public to disregard reports identifying her as a member.
Keeping those points separate prevents the campaign structure from being presented more broadly than the published information supports. It also allows Abraham’s denial to remain part of the story rather than being lost beneath the original list.
The campaign structure now has a clear entertainment face
The Lagos APC’s September 17, 2026 announcement has placed several familiar Nigerian entertainment personalities inside a formal campaign structure for the 2027 general elections. The Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate contains actors, Fuji musicians, indigenous music performers and other creative figures, with Toke Benson Awoyinka, Jide Kosoko, Eniola Badmus, Akeem Alimi and Dare Olateju occupying the listed leadership and administrative positions.
The wider list includes Adebayo Salami, Abiola Adebayo, Saheed Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Foluke Daramola, Bukky Wright, Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun, Kikelomo Balogun, Yinka Quadri, Tayo Sobola and several other Nollywood personalities.
Music is represented by names including Pasuma, Obesere, Malaika, Adewale Ayuba, Osupa, Small Doctor and Aruna Ishola. Their placement under one directorate shows the breadth of the entertainment component within the campaign structure.
Toyin Abraham’s case remains distinct because her name appeared on the original list before she publicly denied being part of the campaign council on September 18, 2026. Her response means that her name should be reported alongside the clarification rather than as a confirmed political appointment.
The central development, therefore, is the emergence of a 33 member Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate within the larger Lagos APC 2027 campaign council, with a mixture of established Nollywood figures and prominent musicians occupying different positions. The formal inauguration scheduled for September 18 marks the next stage of the structure after its publication on September 17, as the party’s campaign organisation begins to take its defined shape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
