THE Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan also known Mama Taraba has finally dumped Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as she got clearance as aspirant to contest the governorship position in Taraba under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This came against public expectations that the Minister would dump the ruling party for the PDP after her public declaration of support for Atiku who is now a presidential aspirant of the opposition party.
Alhassan, who was among top ministers who went for APC clearance, on Friday, at no 13 Aso Drive, Asokoro, Abuja had sometime ago openly told President Muhammadu Buhari that she would support Abubakar if he sought to run for the Presidency in 2019.
She was screened by the APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole and other screening committees on Friday afternoon along with Mansur Dan-Ali, Minister of Defence, who is seeking to win the party nomination for Zamfara State; Usani Uguru Usani, Minister of Niger Delta who is seeking nomination to run for the Cross River governorship position; Mustapha Shehuri, Minister of State 1, Power Works and Housing, who is seeking nomination to run for the governorship position in Borno State; embattled Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications who is seeking to win the nomination to contest for the position of governor of Oyo state.
Others who have been screened as governorship aspirant since the screening exercise commenced on Thursday, in Oshiomhole’s personal office, include Senator Marafa Garba as aspirant for Zamfara governorship position; Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, former PDP Minister of Transportation under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan Umar Idris who wants to occupy Gombe Government House and a host of others.