The satirical movie, ‘If I am President’, produced by Bright Wonder Obasi is expected to hit the cinemas across Nigeria starting from Friday Nov. 9 till the 2019 general elections in February.
The movie, which has been premiered in Abuja and Lagos, has continued to draw movie fans’ applause as it shed light on the nation’s current political travails ahead of the 2019 polls.
The political satire, which was released last month, featured veteran Nollywood acts such as Joke Silva, Bimbo Manuel and Project Fame star, Ayo Ayoola.
Others are Rahama Sadau, Bryan Okwara, Victor Decker, Rekiya Atta, Kayode Aiyegbusi, and Ivie Okujaye etc.
Ayoola, who plays the lead role of a young presidential aspirant, said the movie is one of the most challenging films he had acted “because of the responsibilities rested upon the lead character.”
“It was a lot of work for me; I didn’t want to cram the lines and the script given to me; I just want to understand what was been said and say it in my own way without mixing the words because the writer did a fantastic job already. So, it was a lot of emotions for me as I had to play the role of a young man who was focused, resilient, frustrated, emancipated and at the same time sad at some point,” he told Daily Trust at the Lagos premiere in Lekki.
He noted that nothing will change in Nigerian political terrain until ordinary Nigerians begin to use their mind to think and stand up for positive changes right from their families, to communities and the nation in general.
Also speaking at the premiere, a Congolese lady said: “we really love it; myself alongside my family actually came to the cinema to watch something else but seeing this poster, I felt we should watch it and we did. It was amazing.”
Speaking on the movie, Bright Wonder Obasi, said the film focuses on the challenges in present-day Nigeria.
“The movie ‘If I Am President’ tells the story of 37-year-old Zinachi Ohams, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Rebirth Party, a new party made up of young idealists which until recently was a civil society organization.
“The movie is aimed to inspire patriotism, stimulate public consciousness around corruption and the effect of bad governance on the populace. It uses entertainment to galvanize citizens’ action against corruption in Nigeria,” Obasi said.
He noted that the movie will also be screened in most NYSC Orientation camps and universities across the six geopolitical zones of the country beginning from this month ahead of the 2019 polls.
