Big Question: Is Mama Taraba Set To Join Atiku In PDP?

Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan (also known as Mama Taraba) has requested permission of President Muhammadu Buhari to leave his cabinet in order to contest the 2019 governorship election.

The President confirmed the resignation in his acceptance of her notification through a letter conveyed to her dated July 27, 2018.

While she has strong followership amongst the women of Taraba and could be considered as the most influential female politician in Taraba state today, there are still many who frown at the idea of a woman becoming the governor of the state, as Taraba is a state in the largely conservative North.

It is also possible that she may not be given the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial ticket considering the allegations that she may not be loyal to President Buhari.

Recall Mama Taraba’s statement on the Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar which drew a lot of criticisms from members of the ruling party, as party loyalists had then described her as a traitor.

She had, during the 2017 Eid-el-Kabir holidays, while paying homage to the former Vice President, addressed him as follows: “Your Excellency, our father and our President by the grace of God, come 2019…”

“Atiku is my godfather even before I joined politics,” she said in Hausa.

“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 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,” she had said.

Mrs Alhassan later, denied speculations that she was planning to dump the party after Atiku left APC for the People Democratic Party, PDP in December.

But as 2019 general elections draw near, Nigerians have witnessed a lot of political maneuvering and alliances, following the massive defections from the ruling party to the PDP, especially politicians from the North. Many suggest that Mrs Alhassan’s resignation from Buhari’s cabinet may also be a signal for her next move, perhaps, to join Atiku in the PDP.

The Chairman of APC Governors’ Forum, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo had on Wednesday assured that defections from his party had ended with the departure of the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwa to the opposition party.

“We have 22 states, 53 senators now. Nobody is leaving the party anymore. Those who have left, we are aware that they will leave long ago,” Okorocha said.

Mama Taraba’s calculations may have changed, as she may be one of the women Atiku hopes to use to woe women in the North East for his Presidential ambition, if he gets the PDP presidential ticket. And that is a big “if”.