Peller and Carter Efe lose streamer award to India's Ashswag — Phyna alleges Nigerians ‘used to run ads’

Photo: Carter Efe (left) and Peller (right) · Photos: @carterefe / @peller089 via Legit.ng (FILE PHOTO)

Two of Nigeria's biggest streamers lost to an Indian creator, the category was announced on the red carpet, and Phyna's “used to run ads” charge turned a loss into a debate.

Indian creator Ashswag won the Best International Streamer award at the 2026 Streamer Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, 12 November, beating Nigerian streamers Peller (Habeeb Hamzat) and Carter Efe (Oderhowo Carter), plus Poland's Young Multi and Cuba's Staryuuki.

The sixth edition of the awards, hosted by QTCinderella and Caroline Kwan, had 37 publicly voted categories; public votes counted for 70% of results, an industry panel 30%. Peller reacted on Friday, first criticising the organisers for announcing the international category on the red carpet before the main ceremony, then striking a reflective tone: “My family, we may not have won the award, but you all have given me something bigger than a trophy: your love, support and loyalty. Being nominated for Best International Streamer is already a blessing.”

Former Big Brother Naija winner Phyna accused the organisers of using Nigerian nominees to promote the event without intending to give the award to a Nigerian: “They know they are not going to give it to a Nigerian streamer. They use us to run ads.” Her allegation is not a finding — no voting breakdown has been published, so it cannot be established whether the Nigerians lost because votes were split between them.

Ashswag's acceptance also went viral after a presenter complimented his English and he replied: “English is actually an actual language of India.”

← Back to homepage  ·  Archive