Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has dismissed decades-long rumors of a feud between herself and colleague Genevieve Nnaji. She attributed the narrative to public perception rather than personal animosity.
Speaking in an interview on Yanga FM on February 4, 2026, the actress clarified that while she and Nnaji were often compared by fans and the media, there was never a formal quarrel. Omotola explained that the alleged rivalry stemmed from the industry’s tendency to pit leading figures against one another.
“Na them start the quarrel before we know say we dey quarrel. So, we have to catch up with the quarrel. There was no quarrel,” she stated.
She noted that during their peak years, both actresses were young and focused on their respective careers.
“You know, them go pitch you against this person, talk say na this one be the hottest girl, na that one be the hottest girl. So, those kind tension go dey normally, but people they read am as other things.”
Omotola further emphasized that a lack of close personal friendship does not mean there was conflict.
“People don’t need to be best friends, but we talked. Like behind film, we dey talk normally,” she said.
Drawing a parallel to contemporary rivalries in the Nigerian music industry, such as those between Wizkid and Davido, she remarked:
“You know the same thing that they do with all these music stars, na we dem take start all those things that time. Na we be the practice that time.”
The actress concluded by reiterating that while the public may have interpreted their professional competition as a deep-seated rift, the reality remained professional.
“We were young, everybody dey do her own thing now,” she added.
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