Nollywood actor Yomi Fash-Lanso has sparked controversy on social media after he was seen distributing bread and other food items bearing the logo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to residents in Lagos State.
A video circulating on social media showed the veteran actor handing out food packages from a roadside location, with a crowd of residents gathered around to collect the items.
The bread packages prominently displayed the APC logo, while Fash-Lanso was seen wearing a white shirt and green cap carrying APC and local government branding.
Other individuals involved in the exercise wore iCARE Foundation T-shirts and assisted with the distribution as residents collected white plastic bags containing bread and other food items.
The images have triggered a heated debate online, particularly because the exercise took place against the backdrop of severe economic pressure being experienced by many Nigerian households.
Critics questioned why food meant for people struggling with the cost of living was distributed in packages carrying the branding of a ruling political party.
For some Nigerians, the prominent APC branding has raised questions about whether the exercise was primarily humanitarian or whether it could also serve as a form of political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
One social media user, Monsuru-Temilade Enitan, condemned the development, describing it as evidence of what he considered the “personal interests” and “selfish reasons” of some Nigerian entertainers.
“I didn’t know that fools could bring themselves down to this level because of personal interest and selfish reasons,” Enitan wrote.
He added, “A lot of these actors are a real disgrace to Nigeria, especially Yoruba actors.”
Another user, identified as St Samson, questioned the purpose of the exercise and its political implications.
“After una make dem suffer una give dem bread as what?” he wrote.
Richard Iheanacho also reacted to the video, arguing that the images demonstrated the extent of economic hardship facing ordinary Nigerians.
“This is a proof that ordinary Nigerians can no longer afford to buy food for themselves,” he wrote.
He further argued that Nigerians would remember their economic experiences when they return to the ballot box in 2027.
Another social media user, Tunde Alobe, directly linked the controversy to the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the administration’s reforms had worsened hardship for many citizens.
“This is another proof Tinubu’s reforms have made more Nigerians poorer that they can’t even afford basic food items and they have to rely on handouts,” Alobe said.
A user identified as A.MB also criticised the actor’s association with the ruling party, arguing that the episode had highlighted the political positions taken by some members of the entertainment industry.
The controversy comes as Nigerians continue to grapple with high food prices, reduced purchasing power and the broader effects of economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
The Federal Government has repeatedly defended its economic policies, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign-exchange reforms, arguing that the measures are necessary to stabilise the economy and create the conditions for sustainable long-term growth.
However, critics maintain that the immediate burden of those reforms has fallen heavily on ordinary Nigerians, many of whom are struggling to afford food and other basic necessities.
The APC-branded distribution has therefore reignited a broader debate about the role of political parties and politicians in providing relief to economically vulnerable citizens.
While supporters could interpret the exercise as assistance to residents in need, critics see the conspicuous party branding as evidence of how humanitarian gestures can become intertwined with political messaging.
The timing has also intensified speculation about the 2027 elections, although the video itself does not independently establish that the exercise was organised specifically as an electoral mobilisation campaign.
Similarly, the footage does not independently establish who funded the distribution or whether it was officially organised by the APC.
What the video clearly shows is an exercise in which bread and other food items carrying APC branding were distributed to residents, with Fash-Lanso participating alongside individuals wearing iCARE Foundation-branded clothing.
That distinction has become central to the debate.
For a country where food insecurity and the cost of living remain politically explosive issues, the sight of hungry residents receiving food marked with the identity of a ruling party has inevitably raised uncomfortable questions.
Is it simply humanitarian assistance reaching people who need it most, or does attaching a political party’s identity to basic food relief turn assistance into political messaging?
For now, the answer remains contested — but the images have already ignited a fresh storm over celebrity politics, economic hardship and the increasingly blurred line between humanitarian relief and political mobilisation ahead of 2027.