How Mama Taraba, Aisha Alhassan ended her own political career

By Qwenu.com with additional reports from Taraba Truth and Facts



Political betrayal could sometimes be unavoidable in a democracy. That’s because interests change and some politicians will go to any length to fulfil their aspirations. However, this doesn’t happen without some consequences. Just like Rochas Okorocha turned its back on the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the 2019 polls, Aisha Alhasan, also known as Mama Taraba also did the same.

Mama Taraba had resigned her appointment as women affairs minister and also dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in September 2018. She explained that she left the party and joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) because of the injustice meted out to her by the leadership of the APC.

She lost the governorship poll in Taraba in 2015, and the APC thought it good to give her the minister of women affairs. This doesn’t dampen her hope of returning to claim her state this year.

But having pledged her allegiance to Atiku Abubakar, the APC couldn’t trust her to contest the governorship poll in Taraba under the party, and she was not screened as qualified to contest.

The former minister who was disqualified from seeking the APC ticket, alleged that she was dropped by the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole. After defecting, she picked the UDP nomination form to contest for the Taraba governorship seat.

Explaining the reason for disqualifying Alhassan, Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC, said Aisha Alhassan was disqualified from contesting the Taraba governorship primary over anti-party activities.

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 o

Sequel to this, Mama Taraba resigned from her position as the Minister of Women Affairs under the President Muhammadu Buhari cabinet. She felt aggrieved and left the administration to find her own path to becoming a governor.

She joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) and secured the nomination form to contest for the Taraba governorship seat. According to her then,  APC had become “the weakest political party in Taraba” with her defection.

That was not enough. She went ahead to retrieve all the computers and furniture she donated to the party’s state secretariat in Jalingo.

Reacting to Alhassan’s actions, the APCs said, “We find this development shameful, but unfortunately, it is true. The former minister has emptied the office she furnished when she was a member of the APC. It is amazing to us because Aisha Alhassan was the highest beneficiary of the party in the state.”

But Alhassan defended herself, saying: “I bought the items with my money; when my boys told me they were removing them from the party secretariat, I gave them the go ahead because the APC does not deserve anything of mine.”

“I bought the items to furnish the party secretariat, but since I have moved to the UDP, I did not see anything wrong with moving with all my belongings. They should buy their own furniture for the offices,” she said.

That was how Mama Taraba’s relationship with the APC went down the drain.

Unfortunately for her, she only came a distant third in the elections, which saw Darius Ishaku re-elected for a second term. That could only mean that her political career has suffered a major hit.

The APC, she can’t return to it, and her UDP couldn’t offer her anything politically. Perhaps we could say that’s how Mama Taraba ended her era in the country’s politics.

Since after the election, Mama Taraba refused to go to Tribunal to challange the result many faulted it was marred with gross over voting and irregularities.

 Mama Taraba recently had a successfull knee replacement surgery in a private hospital in Dubia and she is expected to return back to the country but definitely not with the political honour she commanded years ago.