By Akinwale Kasali
The anger was unmistakable. And most people agree, justified. It was sister against sister. Or, okay, half sister against half sister. But it was all in the family. The late Chief MKO Abiola’s family.
Hafsat Abiola-Costello, many agree, looked for trouble, her half sister’s trouble, and the trouble of many Nigerians.
Hafsat is the Director General of the Presidential Campaign of Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State.
Bello is aspiring to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari when the President’s tenure expires on May 29, 2023.
Neither the Abiola family nor anybody bothers with that. A brilliant, capable woman, Hafsat is free to work for anybody. But in her first public outing on the job, Hafsat seems to have put the wrong foot forward. She committed what many see as a sacrilege.
Speaking on why she accepted to lead Bello’s Presidential aspiration campaign, Hafsat said she did because Bello has same character as his late father, MKO Abiola.
The obvious lie, according to people, outraged not a few people. They were shocked, and since then, condemnation against Hafsat’s comparison has been coming like claps of thunder. They say she mis-spoke. They say she has insulted her father’s name and memory. They say she owes the entire Abiola family and Nigerians who appreciate what her father stood for an unreserved apology.
But, perhaps, none was as outraged as Hafsat’s half sister, Tudun Abiola.
A lawyer, Tudun is a presenter at Arise Television. A daughter of Mrs Bisi Abiola, MKO Abiola’s third wife, Bisi, Tudun was stung that Hafsat equated their father to Bello.
Hafsat is the daughter of Abiola’s second wife, Kudirat, who was murdered while fighting for the actualisation of her husband’s Presidential mandate, and his release from an unjustified jail.
Speaking on Arise Television, she could barely contain her shock and anger. She said her half sister has run their late father under the bus. And abused his name and legacy. She spoke of her heartbreak and disappointment that Hafsat could dare such comparison. She reminded Hafsat that she had no permission to denigrate the Abiola name and legacy as that name does not belong to her alone. “It is our name”, she fired.
Following, some of what Tudun said about Hafsat’s comparison of their father with Bello.
“Dr. Abati, ( a co-presenter on Arise Tv) you did warn me that all kinds of characters would be coming on here, that I should brace myself. But I was quite dismayed with your interview yesterday.
“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 making 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 because we had another gentleman on the show talking about another person he was campaigning for, and using my dad to score point. For me, it is unfortunate, being his child, everybody should just leave his name out of this.
“This is dishonesty. False equivalent, expuntation of a genuine struggle.”
Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 1993 Presidential election was locked up by the Military regime of the late General Sani Abacha after the election was cancelled by the Regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
