Actress Rita Daniels has lost the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) presidential election to Abubakar Yakubu.
The election was held on Saturday during the guild’s annual general meeting in Benin, Edo State.
Yakubu, who served as AGN’s national secretary from 2019 to 2025, scored 116 votes while Rita Daniels, mother of actress Regina Daniels, polled 113 votes. Three votes were declared invalid.
Yakubu’s emergence makes him the first Northerner to become AGN president since the guild was officially registered in 1998.
The Kaduna-born actor and administrator previously served as AGN national vice president (1994–1995), national treasurer (2000–2001), public relations officer (2009–2011) and most recently national secretary. A graduate of Dramatic Arts from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he has over 25 years of experience in TV, film and stage productions, with credits including Computer Girls (2003), Emotional Pain (2003) and St Mary (2014).
Ifeoma Okeke was also elected as the new national secretary of the guild.
Rita Daniels had earlier declared her interest in the presidency with a manifesto posted on AGN’s official Instagram page, promising a “guild where every member is protected, valued, and empowered to succeed.”
Her campaign came on the heels of a public rebuke from outgoing AGN president Emeka Rollas, who warned her against contesting at a time he felt her family was facing challenges. Rollas said, “If your daughter’s home and health are in distress, AGN elections should not be your priority.”
The comments were part of wider debates within Nollywood about professionalism and celebrity conduct.
Yakubu’s victory ends one of the guild’s most competitive races in recent years, with observers describing the contest as energetic and closely fought.
