Veteran Yoruba filmmaker and actor, Lere Paimo, popularly known as Eda Onile Ola, has appealed to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and other prominent Nigerians to intervene in what he described as an attempt to deprive him of the rights to his classic film, Ogbori Elemosho.
Paimo made this appeal on Wednesday during a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where he alleged that powerful interests were seeking to remake the iconic film without his consent.
Ogbori Elemosho, a revered Yoruba epic, brought Paimo widespread acclaim and is regarded as one of the productions that helped define historical drama in Nigeria’s film industry.
The veteran filmmaker maintained that he was the original producer of the work, which he said played a major role in shaping his career and legacy.
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According to him, the film earned him national recognition, including the award of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), and contributed to his installation as the Are Arobajo of Ogbomoso by the late Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Oyewumi Ajagungbade II.
Paimo disclosed that the current Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, had earlier approached him with plans to remake the film and sought information on the cost of production.
He said he estimated the project at about N100 million, after which the monarch suggested possible adjustments to the script and promised to get back to him.
However, the filmmaker alleged that in October 2025, a group of individuals visited his residence, claiming they had obtained approval from the Soun of Ogbomoso to proceed with a remake of the film.
“They told me they did not need my permission and that they only wanted to give me a gift for the work,” Paimo said.
He further alleged that N7.5 million was later paid into his bank account without his agreement, a move his children reportedly described as manipulation and robbery. He said he immediately refunded the money.
Paimo added that his lawyers subsequently issued a cease-and-desist letter to the studio involved, warning them against continuing with the project without his express approval.
Despite this, he claimed the parties insisted they had royal backing and allegedly threatened that legal action would not bring him justice.
Describing the situation as an attempt to erase his legacy, the veteran actor recalled the sacrifices he made to produce Ogbori Elemosho, noting that the project left him deeply indebted and even led to the seizure of his car at the time.
“This work was meant to be a benefit to my children and me, but influential people are trying to take it away,” he said. “I appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, and sons and daughters of Ogbomoso at home and abroad to come to my aid.”
He also urged well-meaning Nigerians to protect him from what he described as injustice in his old age, adding that he suspects those involved may be linked to recent rumours of his death that circulated on social media.
Reacting to the allegations, the Public Relations Officer to the Soun of Ogbomoso, Peter Olaleye, told New Telegraph that the matter was an internal issue within Ogbomoso.
He explained that Paimo, a chief in Ogbomoso, had been contacted and formally written to when plans around the story were being discussed, adding that a production crew also visited his home.
According to Olaleye, the story in question belongs to Ogbomoso and that any indigene of the town has a right to tell it, stressing that the proposed production is a different story altogether.
“The issue is an in-house matter,” he said. “The story belongs to Ogbomoso, and the one being made now is not his original story but an entirely new one.”
