04.06.2026 15:01
Journalist Levent Gültekin evaluated the claims about Ekrem İmamoğlu and Özgür Özel discussed in CHP circles during his YouTube broadcast. Gültekin argued that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu may have wanted to sow discord between the duo by offering to "work together" to İmamoğlu and Özel, while claiming that Özel's recent statements contradict each other.
{
"text": "
Journalist Levent Gültekin, speaking on a YouTube broadcast, made striking evaluations based on recent statements by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.
Gültekin recalled that Özgür Özel previously stated he received messages suggesting that if he distanced himself from Ekrem İmamoğlu, they could work together, and commented on the recent claim that \"the party leadership was offered to Ekrem İmamoğlu.\"
\"IF HE DID IT, HE DID IT TO SOW DISCORD BETWEEN THEM\"
Gültekin stated that these claims are not new and said:
\"This is not a new claim. I actually talked about it here when it was first brought up. It was a claim made years ago, but they later denied it. I don't know if it's true or not. But if I know Kemal Bey a little... If he did it, he did it not to work with İmamoğlu, but to sow discord between them. Because Kemal Bey's real hatred was not directed at Özgür Özel. His real hatred was toward İmamoğlu.\"
\"ALL HIS ANGER WAS DIRECTED AT İMAMOĞLU\"
Arguing that Kılıçdaroğlu's real grievance was against Ekrem İmamoğlu, Gültekin said:
\"That İmamoğlu had stabbed him in the back using the municipality's money and resources. Kemal Bey thought, 'I found you, brought you up, made you Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, turned you into a national figure, and you stabbed me in the back'—those were his own words. So all his anger was directed at İmamoğlu.\"
\"KEMAL BEY'S REAL CONCERN WAS TO SIT IN THAT SEAT HIMSELF\"
Gültekin claimed that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's goal was not to replace Özgür Özel with Ekrem İmamoğlu, and said:
\"We don't know that, that he would go directly to İmamoğlu and say, 'Come on, brother Ekrem, you become the chairman, let's remove Özgür Özel.' Because Kemal Bey's concern was not about Özgür leaving and Ekrem coming; Kemal Bey's concern was to sit in that seat himself.\"
\"HERE, ÖZGÜR BEY CONTRADICTS HIMSELF\"
Gültekin argued that there is a contradiction in Özgür Özel's recent statements.
\"Now, he considers it possible that a man with such concerns could offer İmamoğlu the chairmanship, but here Özgür Bey contradicts himself. In an interview a week ago, he said, 'They told me to sell out Ekrem and we'll work with you.' Now, a week later, they told Ekrem, 'Kick out Özgür and we'll work with you.'\"
\"CLEARLY, THEY ARE TRYING TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN US\"
Responding to the assessment that these attempts might be aimed at creating discord between the two figures, Gültekin said:
\"It's possible, but I think Özgür Bey has the intelligence to grasp that. Now, such news comes to me one week, and to you the next, and we talk. Wouldn't we say, 'Clearly, they are trying to drive a wedge between us'? This is not a serious offer.\"
\"TO DESTROY THE SENSE OF UNITY IN THE CHP\"
Arguing that Özgür Özel should frame these developments differently, Gültekin concluded:
\"You could say this. You could share it in this context. They are trying to split us. One time they come to me and tell me to abandon Ekrem İmamoğlu. Another time they go to Ekrem İmamoğlu and tell him to abandon Özgür Özel. So they are trying to sow discord between us. We are aware of it... You could say that. But you don't say that.\"
On the contrary, one week you come out and say, 'They told me that if I had abandoned İmamoğlu, I would be sitting comfortably in my seat right now.' A week later, they supposedly told İmamoğlu, 'Abandon Özgür'... It doesn't add up. But as I said, I see it highly likely as a move to break the bond between them, to shatter the synergy created by that sense of unity within the CHP.\"
}"