GROUP ACCUSES Minister Of Trying To Intimidate Taraba Governor With Federal Might

 

The current face-off between the minister of women affairs, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan and Taraba state’s governor, Arch. Darius Ishaku has been described by the Taraba Mandate Group  as an act of intimidation of the latter by the former using the proverbial “federal might”.

The group said it is the latest in the antics of the minister who also ran for the office of governor in the last year’s governorship election.

Trouble between the two started when, Monday, the minister came to Jalingo to distribute relief materials from the federal government meant for Internally Displaced Persons scattered in camps across the state.

Narrating what happened, the group’s media unit said drama began from her arrival at the Jalingo airport where she alleged  restriction of  her use of the airport facilities by the presence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Anthony Jellason and the Chief of Staff to the governor, Rebo Usman. This allegation was accepted by the minister’s supporters, saying that she was denied usage of airport VIP lounge. An airport official however countered the claim, narrating that the minister alighted the private plane she came in and walked on crutches straight to a waiting car without any indication of interest to use the lounge. The next that was heard of the minister were further claims that the relief materials she came to distribute have been “confiscated” by the state government. In a rather unusual address to a crowd the next day at the Federal Technical College Jalingo, Hajiya Alhassan told the IDPs that government has hijacked the grains meant for them. However, the Taraba Mandate Group (TMG) in a press statement on the imbroglio said the minister is still engaging in post election campaign politics, while acting the script of an opposition figure.

The statement signed by a member of the group Augustine Ande, said “it is not difficult for anyone to note that the minister who lost election both on the field and in court has now turned to using federal might in pursuing her dreams of running the state. She is trying to rally her supporters; to declare to them that she is still powerful even without becoming governor. It is pettiness at its peak and a demonstration of vainglorious intentions.”

Furthermore,the statement by the group  said her attitude indicates that she does not respect the mandate given to Governor Darius by the overwhelming majority. According to the group, “how else do you describe a situation where the minister came to town without informing the state government as convention demands? As a government entity, her welfare and security is important to the state government. It has been the practice from time immemorial. The governor as the Chief Security Officer of the state ought to know about such movements for proper accountability. You don’t just pop into the state capital for an official assignment unannounced, especially at that level of governance. A private visit is even understandable but here too a public office holder of that level is no longer a private citizen. The world should therefore attempt to understand the consternation of state officials who were faced with the suddenness of the aberrant situation. Everyone saw on national television how former President Goodluck Jonathan paid an un-mandatory courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa when the former was going to Zambia for an international assignment. Apart from a display of classy humility, the gesture is often to cement bi-partisan relationship. It doesn’t take anything away from anyone. Elections are over. It is time to work together for the common good of citizens. President Jonathan didn’t say “well I belong to another party; I don’t care about the sitting president of another party”.

The group reiterated government position that the minister was disrespectful of the state government. It said “clearly, the minister was merely trying to tell her supporters that she has no respect for the governor of the state whom she should have been seen to be working with. The contempt and disregard couldn’t have been better conveyed by that flagrant display of hostility from her”. The group pointed out that “this has been her stock in trade from inception because during the campaigns, Aisha encouraged lawlessness by condoning her supporters’ show of force. They booed, tore posters, and threw stones at the PDP processions. They engaged in arson, violent disruption of rallies and other antagonistic tendencies. A calm Darius, throughout the campaign, maintained decorum and decency, always urging his supporters not to fight back in the true spirit of ‘turning the other cheek’. Everyone knows that thuggery is almost an exclusive preserve of the opposition in the state. In the state capital, residents know which area and demography represent violence and trouble making. And they are almost to a person ribald supporters of the minister.”

The statement went on to locate the antecedent of the altercation. It said “even during the court cases, the minister had begun to boast of using federal might in stealing the mandate of the governor. In a leaked video, she was shown telling her followers that she is well connected and could use her influence on the judges. Her supporters too often remind all and sundry that their party controls the center. In their wilful ignorance, they don’t know the federal government belongs to all of us.”

“We are therefore of the view that the minister merely wanted to demonstrate that she is above decent manners and the government in Jalingo and that Gov Ishaku is not her governor, nor is he the governor of her supporters for that matter. She is the one engaging in a show of power here by openly canvassing for rebellion. When she says APC members are being witch hunted, she is merely setting the stage for a conflict. By also promoting an image of the underdog being hounded by the governor, she is just being deceptive to curry local sympathy. That was how she presented herself as a helpless woman who must be given the governorship purely on that gender basis. It is an old trick of hers. On the lies that she has been asked to take permission before coming to the state, no one wants her application to come as a private citizen but by all the rules we know, she must acknowledge the government in Jalingo when she is here for official matters. This is both for synergy and security coordination. Doing otherwise, as she did without proper protocols, is encouraging brigandage, insubordination, and anarchy. The state government would have been irresponsible to accept that from any of its citizens”.

On the issue of the IDPs, the group commended the government for caring for victims. “We have seen some concerns that the state government is insensitive to the plight of IDPs because of the seizure. That’s an illusion. The truth is that Gov Darius has done more for the IDPs than any other person. In fact, it was due to pressures from the governor that the FG decided to come in to assist. The governor’s wife, Mrs Ann Darius, had actually made the issue her pet project, often spending hours each day with the IDPs. All these have been happening long before the minister came with her maize. Whatever she came with are merely supportive as government is already on top of the matter.”

The statement however commended the federal government in coming to the assistance of the displaced person. “After all has been said, we wish to sincerely commend the federal government for its profound decision to reach out to suffering people. We understand the pure motive of President Buhari in this gesture but it is obvious his bumbling minister saw it as an avenue to play politics with a humanitarian crisis. We humbly advise His Excellency, Mr. President to keep an extra eye on his overzealous ministers who try to thwart his efforts. Aisha’s hopes were come here, steal the show and continue to hoodwink the masses as the ‘loving mother of the masses’, thus flagging off her new campaign with federal government largesse. The unsuspecting masses might not know that it is all politics. She is neither loving nor a mother. She is an opportunistic political jobber who wants to harness the federal might to push forward her personal agenda. Thank God that everyone, including the government, saw through the gambit. It was indeed a 419 poorly executed” the statement said.