RismadarVoice Reporters
September 21, 2026
Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has revealed that online attacks over political differences influenced her decision to become more vocal about her support for Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
Akintola, speaking during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, said she was particularly disturbed by the criticism directed at veteran actress Joke Silva over her political preference.
The actress said the hostility towards Silva prompted her to publicly declare her own position despite knowing that she could face similar criticism.
“They bullied Aunty Joke to the point that someone wrote something so inhumane,” Akintola said.
She recalled responding by publicly declaring that she was also supporting Tinubu and challenging those attacking people over their political choices to respect her decision.
Akintola said her increased public support was also influenced by what she described as bullying directed at her because of her preferred candidate.
“I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the last election because somebody annoyed me with their bullying,” she said.
The actress argued that Nigerians should be able to hold different political opinions without being harassed or intimidated for their choices.
“Nigerians are annoying. Don’t bully other people. We have our rights to differences of opinion,” she said, maintaining that people were entitled to prefer different candidates.
Akintola stressed that political disagreement should not prevent Nigerians from respecting one another’s right to make individual choices.
“We need to stop bullying. We need to agree that we can never agree with everybody. That’s what makes us great and beautiful,” she said.
She maintained that regardless of whether others considered Tinubu the most suitable candidate at the time, her vote and political preference remained her personal decision.
Akintola’s comments were originally made public in December 2025 and have resurfaced amid renewed discussions about entertainers and political participation ahead of the 2027 general election.
