The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, should be packing her bags ready to quit her position if her September 2017 statements are anything to go by.
Alhassan, who is popularly known as ‘Mama Taraba’, had sworn “to Allah” to resign should President Muhammadu Buhari seek a second term in office.
She had said this in a BBC Hausa Service programme where she pledged her allegiance to her “godfather” former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is believed to be interested in seeking the presidency in 2019.
Alhassan said, “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.
“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… if Atiku says he is going to contest.”
She went further: “If because of what I said, I am sacked, it will not bother me because I believe in Allah, that my time has elapsed; that is why.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi however said that the minister apologised to the part over her statement.
Speaking to journalists after Alhassan met with APC leaders on Thursday, September 14, 2017, Abdullahi said: “Since the issue of the comment she made came up, the party has not said anything regardless of what individuals may have told you because we are a party that recognized the right of her members to express their opinions or views. We also had an opportunity to discuss with the minister to understand what she said and in what context she said so before we know how to respond. So, when she came, we asked her to explain to us what truly transpired and in what context she said what she said and she did offer these explanations. Now, having offered her explanations, we acknowledged that as a member of this party, she is entitled to her opinion and she is entitled to her choice. However, as a senior member of this party, her statements represent an act of indiscretion because with the kind of position she occupies even within the party, she is a party leader in her own right, what she said was not what she was supposed to say at the time that she said it; that she ought to have exercised greater judgement than she did and she acknowledged that yes, maybe she ought not to have…maybe the timing was wrong and she apologised that if she had put the party in any difficult position, she apologised.”
But since her controversial statement, Alhassan has not publicly recanted.
However, the president on Monday declared his intention to seek reelection in 2019.
It remains to be seen if the minister will toe the path of honour and resign as vowed.