Actress Debbie Shokoya has defended her decision to publicly celebrate her senior colleague Lizzy Anjorin on her birthday, following backlash from fans who branded her an alabosi.
In Yoruba, alabosi refers to someone who is hypocritical or two-faced — a person who acts in a way that contradicts their true intentions.
Debbie had on Saturday posted belated birthday wishes to Lizzy, sharing photos of the actress on Instagram with the caption:
“Belated Happy Birthday To You Ma
@lizzyanjorin_original
“It’s A New Blessed Year For You…
I Wish You Long Life In Good Health And Wealth,
Stay Blessed And Stay Winning Ma
”
Her tribute, however, sparked criticism due to Lizzy’s recent clash with gospel singer Tope Alabi.
Fans who were displeased with the birthday message began tagging Debbie with the insult alabosi.
Responding to the attacks in her comment section, the 38-year-old explained her reasons for the post:
“I wouldn’t have drop this if not for the tag ‘Alabosi’ that I kept seeing on my notification…
“This is me wishing happy birthday to a senior colleague who has also once wish me happy birthday, who has once sympathized with me and also celebrated me on her page when I welcomed my baby.”
She added that she had also celebrated Lizzy last year and usually deletes birthday posts after the day passes.
“Please, I beg you all Don’t tag me as what I am not…
I came online and remember I had to reciprocate the love because I wasn’t active here as at yesterday.”
The controversy stems from an incident where fans abroad contributed money to have Tope Alabi surprise Lizzy on her birthday.
According to reports, Tope was unaware of who she was meant to serenade and upon arriving and discovering it was Lizzy, she allegedly refused to come down from her vehicle and refunded the money.
Reacting, Lizzy said she did not need the gospel singer to perform for her, as she is a Muslim and the money could have been put to better use.
“Aunty Tope I love you but I don’t need you,” she said, adding that she doesn’t pay musicians to perform at her events.
