EXCLUSIVE: Hanks Anuku speaks on viral videos, presidential ambition

Famous actor Hanks Anuku has assured Nigerians he is ok and may contest for the number one office in Nigeria.

The controversial actor was reacting to the viral videos of himself looking unkempt and roaming the streets in Asaba and Benin City.

The actor also said that nothing was wrong with him and that he was doing just fine.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES exclusively on Friday, the actor said he is not what people think he is.

“I will never be what they say I am because I am more significant than that. I am in Asaba at the moment, and I’m doing ok.

“I am alive, sane, strong, blessed and wealthy. I will be contesting as President of Nigeria,” he said.

When asked what political party he would align with, his close associate, Nonso Ofole, said, “We’ll announce that in due course in the appropriate dispensation. For now, we’re rooting for Peter Obi’s presidency”.

The actor cannot, however, contest for president in this dispensation as the deadline for parties to choose their candidates has passed.

In a clip he posted on social media, the actor also reacted to the rumours that he has mental health issues.

He cursed critics and those he said were circulating adverse reports about him, urging them to desist.

He said, “Stop writing crap about me and leave me alone. If you want to act in a movie, if you need help, you can come to me.

“I’ve been on set, and anyone writing using those pictures on stage to try and tarnish my image, may the Holy Spirit forgive you. We shall hook up pretty soon.

His friend, Mr Ofole, also confirmed that nothing was wrong with the actor.

“I’ve known him for over 15 years, and I can confirm that Hanks is doing ok. He is married with kids. He is a thoroughly organised person. Sometimes he gets into a character, whether acting or not, and that confuses people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Actors Guild of Nigeria, during the week, said it was investigating the state of health of the famous Nollywood actor.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, Actors Guild President Emeka Rollas said his team was “on top of the situation”.

The AGN President also cautioned his colleagues, whom he said to use every opportunity to ‘chase clout’, describing it as highly deplorable.

According to him, when an actor has a problem, the solution isn’t always to go on social media to draw attention.

“I don’t know why some people in the entertainment industry feel entitled. These people we are talking about also have families. We have Umunna in the everyday Igbo language.

“There’s nobody on the earth who does not have a family. Allow the family to react. The family will tell you whether he needs help or not,” he said.

He further stated that the guild has a Trust Fund headed by veteran actress Joke Sylva. He called on actors and the public to ask for the AGN trust fund so that when issues like this arise, they don’t have to come to the public to seek help.

The 62-year-old actor is the older brother of Miss Nigeria 1986 Rita Anuku, who died in 2015.

He held sway in Nollywood in the late 1990s until 2014, when he relocated to Ghana.

The ex-Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, appointed him a special adviser on Tourism and Entertainment in 2010, a role he occupied for a short time. After that, he was in the news after the late prophet TB Joshua reportedly delivered him from alcoholism and mental illness. He moved to Ghana after the incident.