Nigerian filmmaker Jade Osiberu is facing backlash after a recent shift in her political stance, leading to accusations of tribal bigotry. The controversy stems from a post she made on X (formerly Twitter), where she criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after previously supporting him over Peter Obi during the 2022 presidential campaign.
On September 28, 2024, Osiberu shared a lighthearted post about her day on social media, which was met with disapproval. An X user, Orji, highlighted an old post from 2022 in which Osiberu stated that Obi was not a “wealth multiplier.” In her original tweet, she expressed support for a leader with integrity but expressed concern about Obi’s ability to stimulate economic growth, saying, “We need a big thinker to dig us out of this economic hole.”
In response to Orji’s comment, which labeled her a tribal bigot, Osiberu defended herself, saying, “This is part of the critical thinking problem I was talking about yesterday. You idiots combed through my entire timeline and couldn’t find a tweet supporting the current administration but you found a tweet that isn’t in support of your messiah and I’m a bigot?! You’re idiots!”
Her remarks ignited further criticism, with many supporters of Obi and others chiming in against her. Osiberu later clarified her position, stating, “You guys have been going wild since yesterday on this one tweet. I made a whole film critiquing APC’s political ideology and structure for which I was targeted and sued to court! I did not believe in Peter Obi either, which is my right and doesn’t make me a tribal bigot!”
Osiberu emphasized that differing opinions should be met with intellectual engagement rather than insults, arguing, “You cannot bully and insult people into believing in a candidate. You can engage intellectually and provide evidence that would convince them.”
As the situation unfolds, Osiberu continues to defend her views amid a storm of criticism on social media.
