The ceremony took place in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, September 12, bringing together African musicians, comedians, and entertainment personalities for the annual event. Real Warri Pikin, as Asuoha is known, beat Basketmouth, Bovi, and Godfrey in the Nigerian comedian category to claim the award.
Her win also came ahead of Kenya’s Eric Omondi and Ty Ngachira, South Africa’s Trevor Noah, and Uganda’s Patrick “Salvado” Idringi. The field made her victory one of the more competitive in the category’s recent history, with nominees drawn from across the continent, reflecting how broadly AFRIMMA casts its net when assembling the pool of candidates each year.
Before the award was announced, Asuoha had joined Timaya on stage during his performance at the ceremony. A video from the event showed her approaching the singer as he performed, after which he lifted her off the ground in a moment that lasted only seconds.
Timaya, mid-performance, appeared to address the crowd directly about the moment. He called out her husband’s name and said, “Ikechukwu, no vex for me oo!” The line drew attention but did not stop the clip from spreading widely once it reached social media, where it accumulated views and commentary at a pace that carried it well beyond the audience that had watched the ceremony itself.
Reactions followed quickly online, with some users questioning the moment because Asuoha is married. The clip circulated across platforms through Sunday and into the early part of the week, pulling focus away from her award win and toward the stage interaction with the singer.
Asuoha, who spoke publicly about the incident, said she had not planned to go on stage and did not expect Timaya to lift her. She also said she initially tried to resist when he attempted to do so, but the moment happened faster than she could respond.
“I apologize to my husband and everyone who feels something about the situation,” she said. The apology was her formal response to the commentary that had built up around the video since the night of the ceremony.
Her husband, Ikechukwu, had not made any public statement on the incident at the time of this report. Asuoha’s apology placed her account of events on record as the conversation around the clip continued to play out across social media.
The comedian has since continued to mark her award win publicly, separating the recognition from the controversy where she can. Both subjects have remained active in online discussions since Saturday, with neither fully replacing the other in terms of attention.
Real Warri Pikin has built her profile over several years, moving from stand-up comedy into acting and other entertainment work. The AFRIMMA win adds to a career that has expanded well beyond the stage where she first became widely known to Nigerian audiences.
AFRIMMA, now in 2026, has grown into one of the more visible platforms for recognizing African entertainment talent on an international stage. Dallas has hosted the ceremony before, and Saturday’s event drew a broad roster of nominees and winners from across the continent, underscoring the awards’ continued reach into multiple African music and comedy scenes.
For Asuoha, the night in Dallas produced two distinct outcomes that are now inseparable in how the public is discussing the evening. Her name trended for the award and for the apology, often in the same breath, on the same platforms, by the same users.
Real Warri Pikin’s AFRIMMA win is now recorded alongside the Timaya moment as part of the same night, and the apology she issued has not closed the conversation so much as given it a new entry point that is likely to stay active for days yet.
