Nollywood actress Toyin Abraham has stirred up social media after she shared a throwback from her TikTok partnership on "Oversabi Aunty". This happened just days after her colleague, Funke Akindele, announced her deal with Facebook for her upcoming film, "The Four: No One Fights Alone."
Akindele shared the news on her Instagram page on Thursday. She described this partnership as a way to reach more fans with her film.
She called the partnership a big milestone in her career, thanking her supporters for their steady encouragement over the years. She mentioned that Facebook will give fans a look behind the scenes of the film, including production activities, promotion efforts, and premiere moments.
"We’re taking The Four to the world, and Facebook is coming with us. I’m so excited to announce my partnership with Facebook for The Four: No One Fights Alone! The love you’ve shown me and my stories over the years has brought us this far. Now, let’s make this next chapter one to remember," she said.
Akindele’s announcement got a lot of congratulatory messages from fans and users on social media. But some took the chance to criticize actress Abraham, comparing the two filmmakers.
Some users argued that Abraham had already started working with social media platforms to promote her films. Others suggested that she and other filmmakers might now follow Akindele’s lead by teaming up with Facebook.
“I’ve done the same”
In response to the backlash, Abraham shared a throwback post showing her earlier work with TikTok. She wanted to highlight that she had already done something similar before Akindele’s deal with Facebook.
On Instagram, she shared a throwback post about her TikTok experience with Oversabi Aunty, calling it a memorable time.
The film hit cinemas on 19 December 2025 before appearing on Netflix and Kava on 2 October. Abraham was the producer and director of the comedy-drama, marking her first time directing a film.
The cast includes Mike Ezuruonye, Jemima Osunde, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, Toyin Afolayan, Efe Irele, and Tana Adelana, alongside Abraham herself. The story follows Toun, a church usher whose church duties conflict with her habit of criticizing people around her.
Abraham expressed her excitement about future collaborations for her next film, Bestie. "Throwback to when TikTok collaborated with Oversabi Aunty! It was such a beautiful experience, and I’m looking forward to more amazing collaborations as we gear up for Bestie. More magic, more creativity and bigger moments ahead! Anyway, fam, are you ready?" she wrote.
PREMIUM TIMES findings
PREMIUM TIMES checked the claims made by Abraham and Akindele about their deals with social media platforms and found some differences.
The photo Abraham posted on Instagram did not come from a collaboration program. Instead, it was taken at TikTok’s #WhatToWatch Cinema Experience on 17 December 2025.
TikTok held the event to bring filmmakers, actors, and content creators together to discuss how social media can help promote films and engage audiences. Abraham spoke about her experience using TikTok for her films and praised the platform's ability to connect content with the right audiences.
A review of the picture shows that TikTok Africa and TikTok Nigeria mentioned Abraham as an attendee, which might give the impression that she was part of a collaboration. Abraham also referred to the event as the #WhatToWatch Cinema Experience in her video caption. She did not call it a collaboration initiative.
She wrote, "Thank you a lot, TikTok. Africa. #Oversabiaunty is #whattowatch in all cinemas from today."
A different situation occurred with Akindele’s announcement. This newspaper found that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, confirmed its partnership with her to promote "The Four."
According to the company, the partnership includes the film’s world premiere in London and its homecoming premiere in Lagos. It also plans to create experiences for content creators, celebrities, and audiences.
Meta confirmed this arrangement in a post after Akindele tagged Facebook in her announcement. "This story is too big for one place. Facebook is partnering with Funke Akindele for the London and Lagos premieres of her movie 'The Four', and we’re bringing every moment to her community around the world. Follow our page and Officialfunke Akindele right here on Facebook for all the behind-the-scenes details and catch-ups. Stay tuned! Stories. Connect. Community."
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently find out who was the first filmmaker to partner with Facebook for the global promotion of a feature film as of press time.
“Rivalry that spanned over a decade”
This latest incident has again highlighted the long-running talk about the relationship between two of Nollywood’s leading actresses.
The rumored rivalry started in the early 2010s when both actresses gained attention in the Yoruba film scene. While Akindele was already a big name, Abraham was building her reputation in the industry.
Fans comparing the two and rumors from the industry have fueled speculation about competition between them. The tension grew in 2021 when their films, Akindele’s "Omo Ghetto: The Saga" and Abraham’s "The Ghost and the Tout Too," went head-to-head at the box office.
The actresses faced another big box office competition in 2024 and 2025 when Akindele released "Everybody Loves Jenifa," while Abraham promoted "Alakada: Bad and Boujee." This competition led to claims of bias in cinema screening and other behind-the-scenes rivalries. However, these claims have not been proven.
Despite the rumors, both actresses seemed to make efforts to improve their relationship between 2024 and 2025. They spoke about the issues on their social media and shared friendly moments at a movie premiere. Their public interactions raised hopes among fans that they had settled their differences.
But their recent encounter at the premiere of "The Return of Arinzo," a film directed by Iyabo Ojo, brought back questions about their relationship.
A viral video from the event showed Abraham in a purple gown moving around and greeting colleagues before approaching Akindele’s table with other industry figures like Mercy Aigbe, Shaffy Bello, and Ojo.
Abraham seemed to approach Akindele warmly, touching her arm and leaning in to greet her. This interaction lasted more than five seconds, but Akindele kept looking forward and did not seem to acknowledge her.
Reactions
Abraham’s post got mixed reactions, with some of Akindele’s fans and other netizens criticizing her and asking her to take it down.
Some netizens accused Abraham of stirring the controversy while trying to dodge the fallout. But not everyone agreed. While some criticized her for posting the throwback collaboration, others supported her and defended her choice.
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