PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has wished Aisha Alhassan, Minister of Women Affairs, well in her aspiration to become the next Governor of Taraba State.
Alhassa, popularly known as ‘Mama Taraba’, shocked many when, in 2017, she declared her loyalty to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying that she will not support Buhari if he decided to run for a second term in office.
According to TheCable, in a letter dated July 27, Buhari thanked Alhassan for her contributions to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during and after the 2015 general election, and wished her well in her governorship ambition.
“Let me thank you on behalf of the federal executive council and Nigerians for your services as minister under this administration,” Buhari wrote.
“I note with passion your past contributions to APC during and after the 2015 elections (and) I wish you well in your ambition to be governor of your state.
“Rest assured that all the security agencies as well as INEC will have my support to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in 2019.”
Alhassan was the APC governorship candidate in 2015, and was declared winner of the polls by the election petition’s tribunal, which held that Darius Ishiaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was illegally fielded. However, the tribunal’s decision was upturned by the Court of Appeal and Ishiaku, who had been declared winner by INEC, was returned to power.
In 2017, Alhassan, already serving as a member of Buhari’s cabinet, publicly professed her loyalty to Atiku, saying she would support him, not Buhari, for the 2019 presidential election.
“Atiku has been my godfather even before I joined politics. And again, Baba Buhari did not tell us that he is going to run in 2019,” Alhassan said during an interview with BBC Hausa.
“Let me tell you today that if Baba says he is going to contest in 2019, I swear to Allah, I will go before him and kneel and tell him that ‘Baba I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve your government as a minister but Baba just like you know I will support only Atiku because he is my godfather.”
Atiku has since left the APC to the PDP where he has declared to run for the presidency. However, Aisha remains in the APC and intends to contest again on the party’s platform come 2019.