Sympathy, Trolls, Trail Yul Edochie

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

This is not a good time for actor and politician, Yul Edochie. The movie star and son of Nollywood legend Pete Edochie is in a state of grief. While many have expressed sympathy for the actor, influencer, others on social media have never ceased to troll him. This is in the wake of the tragic passing of his 16-year-old-son Kambilichukwu, who according to reports, passed away on Thursday, March 30, after he suddenly developed a seizure while playing football with his schoolmates.

Yul seems to have connected with the buzz his status attracted in the industry until lately. From happenings in his home following his choice of a second wife to the frills and thrills of his career, especially a mock portrayal of Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi in a new movie of the same title, the popular actor basked in the frenzy and ruffled feathers in the online community.

However, beyond that, he and his first wife, May have understandably remained silent on social media and have yet to issue an official statement regarding his son’s death. However, in a rather shocking development last Tuesday, Yul took down all of the posts from his social media page. First, he deleted all the pictures he had posted about or with his second wife, Judy Austin. He also deleted the post he made last April announcing that he had taken a second wife and had a child with her.

At the time, the only picture he didn’t delete from April 2022 was that of a promotional of himself and his father. Even the birthday post he made for his first wife, May, his apologies to her for taking a second wife, the Christmas shoot, and many others had been either deleted or archived. He also removed his display picture from his page. A look at Yul’s Instagram page right now shows the actor has taken down all of the posts, leaving largely his 2.3M followers/fans and many others surprised.

His latest move has sparked reactions as many expressed concern for him. The now father of four, is known for playing roles that exhibit strong characters which include an influential politician, or businessman, a highly regarded chief, a tyrant, a powerful king and a drug kingpin. Yul, who started his acting career 17 years ago, graduated from the University of Port Harcourt, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts, and followed in the footsteps of his father.

He has been compared on several occasions to his father veteran actor, Pete Edochie. But his father never had two wives, just one and never kicked against Yul’s polygamy. They however remain cool and seem to share stronger bond.