Buhari’s Minister, Alhassan Disloyal, Working For Atiku, Says Oshiomhole

The national chairman of the ruling party, Adams Oshiomhole, says Aisha Alhassan, the minister for women affairs was disqualified from contesting for the Taraba governorship primary under the party because of her disloyalty to the party, connected to her relationship with Atiku Abubakar.

Although, he didn’t categorically mention Atiku’s name but it can be confirmed that Oshiomhole was referring to no other Peoples Democratic Party’s member than the former vice-president of Nigeria.

Both Alhassan, popularly called ‘MamaTaraba’ and Adebayo Shittu, the minister of communication were denied chances to contest for the party’s gubernatorial primaries.

Shittu was disqualified from Oyo race because he doesn’t possess NYSC certificate.

On MamaTaraba’s disqualification, Oshiomhole said: “She had issues that have to do with party loyalty. Our constitution is clear and it dictates that to contest elections or even hold office in the APC, you must be loyal to the party in every material concern.

“From all she had said in the past and even her comments and general attitude during the screening, the NWC reviewed everything taken together and we arrived at the conclusion that she does not possess the level of loyalty the APC requires for her to contest elections on
our platform.”

Before both Atiku and Buhari separately declared to run for president, Alhassan had expressed her full interest to pick Atiku over Buhari despite the fact she insisted she would remain in APC.

“Atiku is 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 said he is going tobcontest 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”, she once said.

Speaking of Shittu’s disqualification too, the party chairman added that “he admitted that he did not do the mandatory NYSC as provided for under the law, and in is own judgment, his being a member of the Oyo House of Assembly and now as a minister of the Federal Republic were enough sacrifices.

“But for us as a party, we know that NYSC is a mandatory scheme. It is not something you may elect to do or
abstain from doing.

“So, for us, not participating in the NYSC raises very serious moral issue as well as legal issue.

“If he did not do NYSC, that for us was enough to disqualify him and we had to find the courage to do so.”