APC national working committee grills Aisha Alhassan over her support for Atiku come 2019

WOMEN'S affairs minister Senator Aisha Alhassan was grilled for two hours yesterday by the national working committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over her recent stance that she will not back President Muhammadu Buhari at the next elections.

 

Earlier this month, Senator Alhassan caused consternation within the APC by declaring that she will back former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against President Buhari in 2018 when the party holds its presidential primaries. Alhaji Abubakar who stood against President Buhari in the APC's 2014 primaries, has declared that he will be running again and Senator Alhassan has described him as her political godfather.

 

In response to the crisis, Senator Alhassan was invited by the party leadership to defend the controversial comments she made. Yesterday, the minister, who arrived at the APC national secretariat at about 2pm, held a closed-door meeting with the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC until 4pm.

 

After the meeting, Senator Alhassan said: “I can’t make any statement when the party spokesperson is here with me. I am not the party spokesperson.”

 

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC's publicity secretary, confirmed that the minister was at the secretariat to respond to issues relating to a series of controversial comments she made about the 2019 presidential elections. He said the party leadership refrained from making official comments on the issue because it felt it was only proper to hear her side of the story before taking a position.

 

However, Mallam Abdullahi further explained that the party leadership agreed that there was nothing wrong with her decision to declare support for another member of the party. He added, however, that the NWC queried what it described as her indiscretion considering the time she made the comment.

 

Mallam Abdullahi added: “Since the issue of the comment she made came up, the party has not said anything regardless of what individuals might have told you because we are a party that recognises the right of her members to express their opinions. We also had an opportunity to discuss with the minister to understand what she said and in what context she said so before we know how to respond.

 

“So, when she came, we asked her to explain to us what truly transpired and in what context she said what she said and she did offer these explanations. Now, having offered her explanations, we acknowledged that as a member of this party, she is entitled to her opinion and she is entitled to her choice."

 

Asked if Senator Alhassan was advised to resign her appointment, Mallam Abdullahi said that did not come up. He added that if this was 2018 and the people had filed their applications to say they are contesting and she now comes out and says she is supporting someone, else other than President Buhari, it would not be an issue.

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