Mama Taraba Resigns as Minister of Women Affairs, Quits APC

By Dipo Olowookere

Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Aisha Alhassan, fondly called Mama Taraba, has resigned her appointment, becoming the third person to leave the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari this year.

The first to resign as Minister this year was Mr Kayode Fayemi of Mines and Steel, who is now the Governor-elect of Ekiti State. The second was the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who resigned as a result of a certificate scandal.

Mama Taraba, the third to now leave, in a letter to the President, explained that she was forfeiting the position because she felt the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which she belonged to, no longer needed her.

As a result, Mrs Alhassan announced her exit from the party, citing her disqualification from contesting for the APC governorship ticket in Taraba State as the main reason for her decision.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party had said it would not offer the Minister the APC platform to pursue her governorship ambition like she did in 2015.

Chairman of APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, while addressing newsmen on Friday, had said Mama Taraba was an APC member in the day and PDP at night.

This followed her open support for her godfather, Mr Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of Nigeria and a presidential aspirant of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mrs Alhassan, in her resignation letter to the President, said her loyalty to the APC has always been obvious to all, alleging that her disqualification was unjustly.

“I had always been a very committed and loyal party member and was at no time queried or admonished for any wrong doing or unconstitutional behaviour,” the Minister said.

In addition, she said in the letter that, “I feel grave injustice was done to me by the party (APC), therefore, my decision to leave the party and also resign my appointment as Minister.”

“If I am not qualified to contest election in the APC, I feel I am also not qualified to remain a Minister in an APC government,” Mrs Alhassan said.