Arise TV Presenter, Tudun Abiola, has slammed her sister Hafsat Abiola-Costello for equating Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to their late father.
Abiola-Costello, who is the Director-General of Bello’s presidential campaign, had likened the governor’s Hope ‘23 campaign slogan to Hope’93 slogan of Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Tudun expressed shock over the comment by her half-sister, asking her to leave their father out of the issue and concentrate on selling the manifestos of her principal.
Tundun, a lawyer cum TV presenter, is the daughter of Mrs. Bisi Abiola, MKO Abiola’s third wife, while Hafsat is the daughter of Abiola’s second wife Kudirat, who was murdered during the June 12 struggle.
Tundun, who was livid while commenting on Arise TV show told her co-presenter, Reuben Abati that she was dismayed by her half-sister’s interview on Sunday.
She said: “I have come to expect certain things from that individual, but just because it is not surprising does not mean it was not staggeringly inappropriate.
“I am referring to my half-sister Hafsat, who is the DG of Yahaya Bello’s campaign, and her comparison to my dad. There were a lot of political players in his team, and not one of them decided to throw their father under the bus for the sake of their principal.
“Come out and talk about your principal, his antecedents and stands for the future of Nigeria and leave daddy out of this. It is not her right, because it is not her name. It is our name. It is the name of future Abiolas yet unborn who should be proud of the legacy. My father was tortured because according to the United Nations, it sees solitary confinement as torture. He was tortured and then, he was murdered and has left his legacy only for it to be abused in this fashion.
“And I did say that I was quite consistent. We had another gentleman on the show talking about another person he was campaigning for, and using my dad to score points and I was apoplectic. Everybody should just leave his name out of this. It is especially disgusting, the false equivalence, the cynical expatiation of a genuine struggle.”