AMVCA 2026: From Gabriel Afolayan toUzor Arukwe—Meet Your Best Supporting Actor Nominees

A collage featuring AMVCA 12 Best Supporting Actor nominees Gabriel Afolayan, Bucci Franklin, and Uzor Arukwe.

Every great film has one. A performance that does not announce itself from the outset, but that you would notice immediately if it were gone. Supporting actors are the architecture of a story — they give the lead somewhere to stand, something to reckon with, and a world that feels lived-in enough to be believable. They are the ones who make the emotional stakes feel real, who absorb the tension so the lead can release it, and who, in the best cases, leave you thinking about them long after the credits roll.

This year’s AMVCA Best Supporting Actor category is a particularly rich one. Across eight nominations drawn from films and series that have dominated conversations since their release, the 12th edition has assembled a field that stretches from first-time nominees arriving on the back of breakout performances, to seasoned veterans returning with fresh material that proves they are nowhere near done.

With the ceremony set for 9th May 2026 at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, we are taking a closer look at each of them — the films they inhabit, the roles they bring to life, and what this nomination means in the context of their careers.

Sinmileoluwa Hassan — The Yard

If you love a story where the hero slowly becomes the villain, “The Yard” was made for you. The series tracks a character whose moral compass shifts gradually enough that you find yourself questioning what you rooted for at the start. Simileoluwa Hassan’s performance sits right at the centre of that tension, bringing a grounded, measured presence to a story that asks difficult questions about loyalty, ambition, and the cost of survival.

At AMVCA 12, “The Yard” is nominated for Best Scripted M-Net Original and Best Series Scripted alongside Hassan’s Best Supporting Actor nod, a sweep of nominations that speaks to the quality of the production he is working within. This is Hassan’s first AMVCA nomination, and it is a strong way to arrive

Sinmileoluwa Hassan on the set of the M-Net original series The Yard. Photo Credit: Sinmileoluwa Hassan/Instagram

Lateef Adedimeji — Gingerrr and Red Circle  

“Gingerrr” leads the 2026 AMVCA race with nine nominations. It follows a group of women navigating love and friendship, where Adedimeji’s role demands subtlety over spectacle. He enters this year’s ceremony as the most nominated individual, achieving a historic triple nod in the acting categories alone—nominated for Best Lead Actor for “Lisabi: A Legend Is Born,” and for Best Supporting Actor for both “Gingerrr” and “Red Circle.” Adedimeji previously won the Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa) category at the 2025 AMVCA as executive producer on “Lisabi: The Uprising,” but an acting win at this ceremony has not yet come his way.

A behind-the-scenes look at Lateef Adedimeji filming Red Circle. His portrayal of Oshisco earned him one of his historic triple acting nominations for the 2026 AMVCA. Photo Credit: Nora Awolowo/Instagram 

Femi Adebayo — Agesinkole (King of Thieves) 2

“Agesinkole 2” returns to the legend of the titular character. Femi Adebayo reprises the role he created in the 2022 original, though this sequel places him in the Supporting Actor category as the mythic force behind the narrative. Adebayo arrives as a heavyweight champion, having won Best Lead Actor at the 2025 AMVCA for “Seven Doors.”

Gabriel Afolayan — Colours of Fire

“Colours of Fire” is a fantasy epic where Afolayan plays a supporting character whose choices ripple outwards and affect the lead’s journey. If there is a defending champion presence in this category, it belongs to Afolayan. At the 11th AMVCA in 2025, he won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Inside Life. He returns now with back-to-back nominations in this category and a win already on the shelf.

Reigning AMVCA winner Gabriel Afolayan on the set of Colours of Fire, returning to the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as Badero. Photo Credit: Valerie Okeke/Instagram 

Femi Branch — Owambe Thieves

In “Owambe Thieves,” Branch brings a seasoned presence to a comedy grounded in the financial pressures of new parenthood. This nomination is part of a massive year for Branch, who also earned a Best Lead Actor nod for the thriller “Red Circle.” This range is a clear step up from his first AMVCA acting nomination in 2025, where he was recognised for Best Lead Actor in the historical drama House of Ga’a.

Bucci Franklin — To Kill A Monkey

“To Kill A Monkey” follows Efemini, a tech graduate drawn into a cybercrime syndicate. Bucci Franklin plays a key figure in that criminal world, making the wrong choices feel entirely reasonable. While the film’s success on Netflix in 2025 put him into much wider conversations, this is not his first time on the AMVCA shortlist. Franklin was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2022 for “Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story” and Best Actor in 2025 for “The Weekend.” This year, he returns to the Supporting Actor category for his role in one of the year’s most talked-about productions.

A candid moment on the set of the hit series To Kill A Monkey, featuring director Kemi Adetiba and AMVCA nominee Bucci Franklin sharing a smile during production. Photo Credit: Bucci Franklin/Instagram 

Uzor Arukwe — Behind the Scenes

Arukwe plays Victor, the lawyer and closest friend to the lead in “Behind the Scenes,” the first Nollywood production to cross the N1 billion mark in 19 days. Arukwe received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2025 AMVCA for “Suspicion,” and returns this year with both a Best Lead Actor nomination for “Colours of Fire” and this Best Supporting Actor nod, making him a major contender across the board.