Pete Edochie Fires Back at Yemi Solade, Others Over Seniority Claims

By Segun Adebayo

Veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, has fired back at colleagues who have challenged his status as one of the pioneers and most accomplished actors in the Nigerian film industry.

Edochie made his position known while featuring on Isbae U’s podcast, monitored by Per Second News, where he declared that no actor in Nollywood was greater than him and challenged anyone with a contrary opinion to come forward.

The veteran actor’s comments came amid a debate over seniority and longevity in the Nigerian movie industry, following claims by actor Yemi Solade that he began acting before Edochie.

Solade had acknowledged that Edochie was older than him but maintained that he regarded himself as a senior colleague in the acting profession because he started acting before the veteran actor.

Responding to the claim, Edochie challenged Solade and any other actor who believes they began their acting careers before him to come forward and make their case.

“I started acting before Nollywood was created in 1992,” Edochie said.

The 79-year-old actor explained that his acting career dates back several decades before the term Nollywood became associated with Nigeria’s film industry.

“I first appeared in The Merchant of Venice in 1962 at the age of 15,” he said, pointing to his early involvement in stage acting as evidence of his long-standing career.

Edochie also highlighted what he described as a major international milestone in his career, saying his work had attracted international attention at a time when the Nigerian film industry was still developing.

“I’m the only person who has done a film that made white people fly in to Nigeria just to interview me,” he said.

The actor did not name the colleagues he was referring to, but his remarks appeared directed at those who have questioned his claim to seniority or prominence within the Nigerian acting profession.

He maintained that his career should not be assessed solely from the period when Nollywood became formally recognised, stressing that his acting journey began long before the industry’s emergence in its present form.

Edochie’s declaration also underlined the distinction between the history of Nigerian cinema and the era popularly known as Nollywood, which gained prominence from the early 1990s.

The veteran actor has placed the question of seniority and legacy firmly back in the spotlight, particularly among actors whose careers span different generations.