- Accuses Her Of Being Driven by Religious/Tribal Sentiments To Cause Destabilization
- Calls On Buhari To Check AishaAlhassan’s Excesses
- She Is Using The Wrong Vehicle To Drive Her 2019 Ambition – Giwa
A breakaway faction from the All Progressives Congress, APC and former loyalists to Minister
of Women Affairs and former APC Governorship candidate in Taraba State, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan has threatened to expose her antics in trying to destabilize the Government of Taraba State, using religion and tribal sentiments Speaking to nationalTRAIL editors, the group, Taraba Democracy and Mandate Defenders, TDMD, led by Rimamsked xotsu and Abdullahi Maihakuri, said the Minister was in the State recently and tried persuading them to mount consistent pressures against the governor, accusing him of perusing religious and tribal agenda in his government, so as to distract him.
According to them, they were invited for a meeting with the minister who promised to give them money to sustain the campaign, but she has not looked back since she left and she has failed to fulfill her pledge.
“We know that she only wanted to use us to cause problem for the governor, but she has no serious reason to convince us, so she started spreading message of religion and tribal hatred. But as you can see, we two here are form northern Taraba and Southern Taraba and we cannot be deceived to fight each other just for her to destabilize Government for her selfish plan to return in 2019.
This is even as an Abuja based civil society group, Coalition of Civil Society and Media Executives for Policy Stability (COCMEP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call Women Affairs and Social Development Minister, Hajia Aisha Al-Hassan to order, concentrate on her job in Abuja and refrain from trouble making and misrepresenting the federal government in Taraba State.
The position of COCMEP on the recent face off between Aisha Al-Hassan and Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State was made known in a press release issued and signed by the Group’s President, Comrade Innocent Ebirim Okadigbo and Publicity Secretary Comrade Tijjani Abubakar.
It should be recalled that the planned distribution of the material items to IDPs in Taraba state by the federal Government has sparked off a row between the minister and state government sequel to the breach of protocol by the minister who boycotted and neglected the state government in the programme; which was perceived as act of insubordination and disrespect to the state government.
Recalling that the Minister Of State Solid Minerals Development, Bawa Bwala was well received and accommodated by the Taraba State Government when he visited the state, COCMEP urges Hajia Aisha Al-Hasssan to stop mixing development and humanitarian projects with dirty politicking and to always abide by due process in her affairs in the state to avoid tampering with the restored peace in Taraba.
‘’Stop using federal might to intimidate and cause confusion in Taraba state. Aisha Al-Hassan did it is a Senator which caused serious political rift between her and former Governor Danbaba Suntai and the ugly episode is being replicated in the state now by the same person’’ The release emphasized. Is Aisha Al-Hassan the only minister from Taraba state and in PMB’s administration who knows what federal might is? The release queried.
The release condemned the action of the Women Affairs Minister in handling the programme which has made the public to perceive a well intended gesture by the federal government as a Greek gift Aisha Al-Hassan is using to fight her perceived political enemies and personal war.
COCMEP advised Aisha Al-Hassan to stop dissipating her energies in unnecessary politicking since elections have ended and concentrate on fighting for the welfare, dignity, empowerment, recognition and integration of Nigerian women who have suffered so much abuses and neglect in the country.
TDMD in their nfurther submission said, “Governor Darius has not done anything wrong to anger us. It is purely Aisha’s problem so we are ready to expose her plans because we know everything that has been arranged to cause problem in taraba state, Aand to tell lies against the Governor”, Xotsu remarked.
They said “the minister deliberately refused to tell the state Government that she was coming to Jalingo because she wanted all the plans she lined up remain secret”, even as they alleged that Senator Alhassan does not seem to have given up on Governor Ishaku against 2019.
While calling on her to stop her plans before they expose her, the group said the divide and rule tactics of the minister in Taraba state gave rise to the TDMD, which mandate shall be to ensure that Democracy is allowed to thrive in the state no matter who is in power at any given time.
They told nationalTRAIL that the former APC Governorship standard bearer told them at the meeting in Jalingo that she is going to make the state ungovernable for Darius Ishaku, so that the Governor will be unpopular by 2019 when she plans to re-launch herself into reckoning for the governorship race.
Attempts to speak to Alhassan were not successful as her phones were switched off, but Special Assistant to Governor Darius Ishaku on media, Mr Sylvanus Giwa told our correspondent on the phone that the group’s position is a vindication of the Governor’s earlier alert that the minister has some sinister motives against the state Government.
He said, Governor Darius Ishaku has severally extended hands of fellowship to Aisha Alhassan, for them to forget their political differences for the good of the state, but she does not appear receptive to any form of partnership.
Giwa remarked that religion and tribalism are the wrong vehicles for Alhassan to drive her political ambition, stressing that, Governor Ishaku is such a detribalized person and does not treat people on the basis of their religious beliefs, as such Aisha’s antics is going to be futile.
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