I Supported Tinubu More After I Was Bullied for My Choice – Bimbo Akintola
Kehinde Adeleye
Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has revealed the reason behind her strong support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the last general election, saying her decision was influenced by an encounter with a political bully.
Speaking on a recent episode of With Chude, the film star said she had initially supported Tinubu, but her commitment deepened after an opposition supporter verbally attacked her for her choice. According to her, she intensified her support “to spite” the individual who tried to intimidate her.
Akintola said the experience reflects a growing culture of intolerance in political discussions, urging Nigerians to respect one another’s choices.
“I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the last election because somebody annoyed me with their bullying,” she said. “Nigerians are annoying. Don’t bully other people. We have our rights to differences of opinion. You don’t like this man, cool. You prefer another person, good for you. But don’t bully others.”
The actress also referenced similar online harassment faced by veteran actress Joke Silva, who was heavily criticised for supporting Tinubu.
“They bullied aunty Joke to the point that someone wrote something so inhumane,” she noted. “So, I made a video and said, ‘I’m also supporting Tinubu, kill me, let me see if you can change my mind.’”
Akintola insisted that political diversity is healthy for any society and warned against attempts to silence dissenting voices.
“We need to stop bullying. We need to agree that we can never agree with everybody,” she said. “If we are all the same, life would be boring. You might not agree he was the best person for the job, but at that point, that was who I wanted, that was who I voted for. You can’t take my voice away from me; it’s mine.”
