By Ayo Onikoyi
On Tuesday, October 3, 2023 the winner of the Big Brother Naija All-Stars season, Ilebaye Odiniya was presented with the Prize money of N120M, a new SUV from Innoson and a long list of other prizes at the Big Brother House in Ilupeju in the presence of the media community.
Busola Tejumola, the executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice in her speech summed up the BBNaija All-Stars edition as a Season of love rekindled and new friendships made.
For Ilebaye, it was certainly a season of newfound love, as she grew a community of new followers known as Gen Z baddies. She also made new friends, powerful ones at that, compared to her last cameo in the Biggieverse which lasted only 3 weeks.
Coming into the house, nobody would have given her chance to survive against the likes of Mercy, CeeC, Alex, Kiddwaya, Adekunle, Pere, Whitemoney and the rest but the final result showed she did it with aplomb and far ahead in votes despite several others having celebrity statuses and a horde of powerful celebrities behind them.
It is no secret that vote-buying reigns during Big Brother Shows. Evidence abound on social media how moneybags dole out money to encourage their followers to vote for a Housemate of their choice. And those who don’t dole out money induce their followers through other means. It is all perfectly legal. We saw it in the time of Efe Money, Whitemoney, Mercy Eke and others.
It is inconceivable that a commoner like Ilebaye could outwit and outgun a powerhouse like Mercy Eke, who had a horde of rich friends rooting for her and pulling strings on her behalf. Coming into the All-Stars edition, Mercy had over 3.6 million followers while Ilebaye had less than a 100k followers. But her no-strategy strategy and natural spiritedness built up a storm of common faithfuls who went all out for the kill for her. Although a few powerhouses stood in her corner but they were nothing compared to a tribe that stood behind Mercy or CeeC
“I dedicate all these prizes to my Gen Z Baddies. This is proof that you should not underestimate yourself. I came into the House with no strategy but with plenty of belief. I never thought I could win, it never occurred to me. I came for the fun and the fun saw me through. When I came the first time, I stayed in the house for 3 weeks and honestly, I felt I would spend just 2-3 weeks,” said Ilebaye at the prize presentation on Tuesday.
She has however mentioned, “Incredible celebrities who used their platforms to champion my cause, I am forever indebted to you. @inidimaokojie @queenmercyatang @_timini @gloriaosarfo @iyaboojofespris @iamyvonnejegede @symply_tacha @chalyashagaya
@medlinboss @kingronke @unusualphyna @berylama @therealmontana @datwarrigirl @uchemontana @danielaokereke @bobrisky222 @iykennama @crowdkontroller @itslaycon @wathonianyasi @gistmint @chizzyofficial__1 @sirkess_official @bellaokagbue @thechomzy just to name a few. Your support and advocacy have been instrumental in this journey, and I will never forget the kindness you’ve shown.”
