Speaking during an interview with NollyNow, he clarified that he started acting in Nollywood before Pete Edochie, but did not say Edochie was “parading himself and deceiving others” as the oldest actor.
Veteran Nollywood actor Bob-Manuel Udokwu has refuted claims attributed to him suggesting that his colleague, Pete Edochie, was presenting himself as the oldest actor in Nollywood.
Udokwu asserted that he was misrepresented in a podcast interview.
Speaking during an interview with NollyNow, he clarified that he started acting in Nollywood before Pete Edochie, but did not say Edochie was “parading himself and deceiving others” as the oldest actor.
He explained that he was referring to the modern Nollywood industry, distinguishing it from earlier works like “Things Fall Apart,” in which Edochie starred.
Udokwu, who is the Special Adviser on Entertainment, Leisure and Tourism to Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, emphasised the importance of respecting elders in African culture and expressed his admiration for Pete Edochie, acknowledging that Edochie is older than him.
He said, “I granted a podcast interview along the lines that I was in Nollywood before Pete Edichie, in an answer to a question posed to me by the host of the show. But the statement: ‘as he is parading himself and deceiving others’ is certainly not from me. I was misrepresented.
“That’s a very wrong thing for them to do. I never said that. All I said was that if you are referring to Nollywood, I started acting before Pete Edochie. He may have started acting before me like in “Things Fall Apart’, but the TV series was not part of Nollywood. Kanayo O. Kanayo had said the same thing many years ago. They now wrote that I said he was parading himself and deceiving others.
“I acted in “Checkmate’ and “When the Sun Sets”, but I don’t count it as part of Nollywood. Pete Edochie is older than me by far. In our African culture, we don’t disrespect our elders. I will never disrespect Pete Edochie.”
