Mama Taraba has no plans to follow Atiku to PDP

Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, has dismissed reports that shes planning to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who has decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a telephone interview with Premium Times, the minister said will continue with the ruling party, despite her very public endorsement of Atiku in September 2017.

According to her, she helped to build the APC and will not neglect the party for the opposition despite all indication that Atiku will run for the presidency in 2019 on the platform of the PDP.

She said, "Politics is all about interest, and nobody forced me to leave PDP to join APC, so no want will force me out of it. I will continue to work for APC and that's why I travelled out to Taraba, to campaign for our party's candidate Sanusi Jambawaile.

"I know many may wish to see me leaving APC, but let me assure them I will remain in APC! So, how can I destroy the house we collectively built?"

Mama Taraba's rebellion

Back in September, as part of a delegation paying a courtesy visit to Atiku, Alhassan, popularly called Mama Taraba, declared her support for Atiku to become Nigeria's president in 2019.

The former Taraba state gubernatorial candidate said, "Your excellency, our father the next president come 2019, God willing. In your presence are your people, your supporters who will continue supporting you till forever."

In a BBC Hausa interview that followed shortly after her endorsement of Atiku, she said she was ready to quit Buhari's government if he makes her choose between him and Atiku.

She said, "Let me tell you today that if Baba said 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 said he is going to contest."

The minister even went one step further to dare a dismissal from the president for her comments, saying he is not naive enough to sack her.

"Baba is not a madman like those calling for my sack," she boasted.

Her comments didn't go down well with the party's leadership and Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, even revealed that the minister never voted for President Buhari during the party's primary election and has never subscribed to his vision.