Kocabıyık, expelled from AKP for supporting İmamoğlu, breaks his silence!

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on the same day that AKP member Hüseyin Kocabıyık reacted to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leading to his expulsion from the party.

Participating in a live broadcast on Halk TV, Kocabıyık made notable statements.

Speaking about his political struggle, Kocabıyık said, "It was 1980, the September 12 coup had taken place, and I was 16-17 years old. I was a senior in high school. Soldiers rounded up some of our friends from high school. They spent nearly a year in prison. Because of the Nationalist (Ülkücü) case... It was the month of Ramadan, and I was fasting. They put us into a tiny vehicle accompanied by gendarmes. We were beaten until morning, and then I took the university entrance exam in the morning. 45 years have passed, how do the people living in this country have such a fate? We enter prison at our adolescent age. We struggle to be useful to our homeland and nation. You get expelled from your party because you said something to protect your party, to protect the President we love. It is a warning, there is nothing else we can do."

"I AM NOT AN OPPONENT OF TAYYİP ERDOĞAN!"

Emphasizing that a political conspiracy was organized against IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, Kocabıyık stated, "The judiciary was actively involved for this purpose. The same conspiracy had been organized against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as well. I am asking today. The man has won elections three times. He is the mayor of Istanbul... I am objecting because I do not find this appropriate. I don't know how many cases I have been tried in for the sake of fighting for democracy... I am objecting today for the same reason I objected back then. I am not an opponent of Tayyip Erdoğan, nor am I an opponent of the AK Party."

News Source: 12punto