Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay joined the AK Party at a ceremony; President Erdoğan pinned on his badge. Tugay’s speech at the ceremony, full of praise for Erdoğan, drew attention.
The columnist made the ironic remark that Tugay had been a “secret AK Party member” for years. Özgür Özel had nominated Tugay as a candidate instead of Tunç Soyer, saying, “Even milk can have a stain, but Cemil Tugay cannot.” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had also made him the mayor of Karşıyaka in 2019. According to the columnist, the real reason behind Özel’s choice was the support Tugay had given him at the tumultuous party congress.
Tugay had criticized Aydın Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, who switched to the AK Party in August 2025, saying that he did not find changing parties ethical.
At the ceremony, his wife Öznur Hanım also prompted comments by turning her gaze to the ground and appearing uncomfortable.
In Izmir on April 4, 2024, Özel had declared the city the “flagship” and thanked the people of Izmir, who had won 28 of the 30 municipalities.
Background
Gizli is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 7 stories featuring this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated September 29, 2026.