Online Bullying Pushed Me to Support Tinubu – Bimbo Akintola
Kehinde Adeleye
Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has revealed that online bullying over political choices pushed her to publicly declare support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
Akintola made the disclosure during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, where she criticised the practice of attacking people because of their political preferences. Her account was also reported by several Nigerian media outlets following the interview.
According to the actress, the backlash faced by veteran actress Joke Silva over her support for Tinubu also influenced her decision to openly identify with the then All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate.
“I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the last election because Nigerians annoyed me with their bullying,” Akintola said.
She recalled that Silva was subjected to what she described as inhumane attacks over her political choice, prompting her to make her own position public.
“They bullied Aunty Joke to the point that someone wrote something that was so inhumane. So, I made a video and said, ‘I’m also supporting Tinubu, kill me, let me see if you can change my mind,’” she said.
Akintola said her decision was also a response to what she viewed as intolerance towards people who held political opinions different from those of others.
She urged Nigerians to respect differences in political views and allow individuals to make their own choices without being subjected to personal attacks.
“Nigerians are annoying. Don’t bully other people. We have our rights to differences of opinion. You don’t like this man, cool, you have the right not to like him. You prefer this person, good for you. But don’t bully others,” she said.
Akintola further said political disagreement should not prevent people from respecting one another.
The full interview was published as part of Chude Jideonwo’s With Chude series in December 2025.
