Popular Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has explained that her support for Tinubu during the 2023 election came from a place of anger and frustration after watching Nigerians attack those who held different political views.
She said the constant hostility pushed her to openly declare her choice.
Akintola shared her experience during a conversation with Chude Jideonwo. She noted that she became upset after seeing how people, including veteran actress Joke Silva, were repeatedly mocked online for supporting a candidate others did not like. She said the harassment reached a point where she could no longer stay silent.
According to her, Nigerians must learn to respect diverse opinions since disagreement is part of what gives the country its strength. She stressed that no one has the right to bully others because of their preferred candidate.
She said, “Somebody annoyed me, Nigerians annoyed me. Don’t bully other people. We have our rights to different opinions. You don’t like this man? Fine. You have the right not to like him. You prefer this person? Good for you. They bullied Aunty Joke to the point that somebody wrote something that offended me so deeply. I now did a video saying, you know what, I’m going for the same person, kill me. Let me see you change my mind with the bully.”
Akintola added that even though some people still believe Tinubu was not the best choice, the decision she made then was based on her conviction and the candidate she wanted to vote for.
She said, “We need to stop it. We need to understand that we can never agree with everybody. That’s what makes us great. That’s what makes us beautiful, makes us different. If we are all the same, it would be a boring life. Till tomorrow, you might not agree he is the best person for the job, but at that point, that is who I wanted, that is who I voted for.”
