In The Delegates, AHA Kicks Against Vote Buying
ANOTHER election year is upon us and some Nigerians are doing their best to educate the electorates through different means, including films.
The Delegates, powered by Arch Hub Africa ( AHA), is a movie that depicts what is happening in Nigeria’s politics and elections, especially in the area of vote buying.
The Delegates is a parody of power- play in Africa’s most populated country, and coincidentally hitting the screen in this general election period, it creates puns, exploiting the vigour of its highly humourous cast, and child characters such as Michael Akpuhijiha, Daisy Olikuntuyi, Jedidah Ojo- Kayode and others to dramatically bring comic relief to Nigeria’s overheated polity.
The movie explores the story of a less qualified pupil ( Stephen Lavish) who is contesting the election of the school president against two other students who are sharper, articulate and charismatic than him, but don’t have the money to dole out during the election. Lavish’s mother bought everyone with gifts and her son was voted for overwhelmingly, but what happened next?
The series premiered recently, at the Ebony Life Place Cinemas, Victoria Island, Lagos. In attendance were cast members including Ayo Adesanya, Vanessa Olugbodi,
Jomiloju Owojuyigbe, Okey Ozoeshi.
Guests at the premiere include Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle; Ace Producer, Tade Ogidan; Chief Operating Officer ( COO), Verdant Zeal Group, Dipo Adesida;
Chairman Verdant Zeal Group, Femi Oyewole and others.
Using imageries with real- life semblance, The Delegates scores a high point in making its audience relate to the story and intended satire.
On why the movie was produced close to the 2023 general elections, Co- Executive Producer of the film, Dipo
Adeshida, said: “The idea is to commemorate the second anniversary of Lekki Toll Gate shooting. People deserve the kind of leaders they get, we can’t be complaining about corruption but doing the same thing in our own small homes, school, and places of worship. It’s not enough to be a Twitter warrior or Japa ( leave the country in droves); we must play our roles.
This film is really an African project and I hope the lessons will be put into practice.”
Speaking on the movie, Adesanya who played the role of Mrs. Lavish, said: “This is the story of a family that did too much for their kid. There must be balance, we shouldn’t do too much for our children; we at times play God especially when we have the resources, but we don’t know when to stop.
“We must allow the children to be themselves and we should only try to nurture them. Children see everything we do and they are learning from our actions so, we need to always do the right thing.”