The controversy surrounding the appointment of Senator Elisha Abbo as patron of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) is far from settling, if the latest development is anything to go by.

It would be recalled that Cross River State-born Nollywood star Kate Henshaw had started the rejection campaign last week as soon as the Senator was appointed as a patron of the actors’ umbrella body.

Kate had based her rejection of the appointment based on the brutality the serving senator from Adamawa State had meted out on a pregnant lady in an Abuja sex toy shop last year.

Kate Henshaw was joined in the campaign by equally veteran actress Hilda Dokubo.

The latest gist is that more actresses have joined the campaign against the slapping lawmaker.

On the roll of new protesters are versatile Nollywood stars Rita Dominic and Mercy Johnson-Okojie.

The twosome is bent on ensuring that Senator Abbo is not their patron.

In a post on her Instagram page on Thursday, Rita Dominic said: “No to abuse! There’s that old saying, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’ We should not be encouraging the kind of behaviour that was displayed by this man by making him a patron of our Guild.”

As if her initial protest in collaboration with Kate Henshaw was not enough, Hilda added:

“An abuser of women as patron of Actors Guild of Nigeria is an unpardonable abuse of the rights of all the female in the creative space especially actors. We must stop every attempt at rubbishing our values as a people with such appointments in whatever guise. Consequently, Senator Abbo #sextoysenator must be delisted from our list of patrons now.”

The way it is, the national president of the Guild, Emeka Rollas, seems to be helpless.

Rollas, before the latest development, had gone on an online television some days back to refute the talks making the rounds that he’s the brain behind the controversial appointment.

According to Rollas, the senator for a long time now has been very supportive to the North East chapter of the Guild when they (chapter) were almost in extinction.

It was on this basis, said Rollas that the chapter recommended the senator, to the committee vested with the responsibility of selecting patrons and matrons for the national body, as a patron.

Maggie’s Blog reached out to Rollas to get his reaction following the swelling in the ranks of the protesters.

“I do not know why my people are adamant. It is very true this gentleman (Senator) erred, but he apologised publicly to Nigerians after all said and done. To err is human, to forgive divine. This is someone who had been supporting us even before that ugly incident. Can’t we just forgive?” said the actors’ leader through an aide who pleaded anonymity.

Asked if he, as national president of the Guild, cannot drop the controversial appointment, Rollas said: “I have no such power. There is a committee whose job it is to select patrons and matrons for the Guild. But let me mention here that as we speak, the committee is meeting on the matter and will advise the national body accordingly.”

True, uneasy lays the head that wears the crown. More so, when it has to do with women protest. I don’t envy Emeka Rollas one bit.

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