From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Ahead of the 2019 general election in the country, there are indications that Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may team up with the present minister of women affairs, Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, currently in the All Progressive Congress (APC), as candidate and running mate respectively, so as to retain the number one seat in the state.
This is coming on the heels of the defection of Alhassan’s professed political godfather and former vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the APC to the PDP in pursuance of his Presidential ambition. Sources very familiar with the political arrangement told Daily Sun that talks have started between Alhassan and Ishaku’s camps for her to join force with the governor as his running mate for the 2019 election.
Alhassan was Ishaku’s main rival in the 2015 general election and had pursued a legal battle against the governor up to the Supreme Court that almost cost the governor his seat. The duo have not been in good terms ever since. The minister is on record to have said Ishaku was the “worse governor ever in the history of the state” as he is “leading the state astray because of how clueless he is”.
On other occasion, she accused Ishaku of “not only dividing the state along tribal, ethnic, religious and political lines, but also has been highly insensitive to the plight f the people. Darius must understand that he is not the governor only for certain sections or interests in the state but for everyone who is an indigene or resident of this state. He must carry other tribes as well as people who profess religious beliefs and political ideologies different from his along, as they are also indigenes of this state and have a right to good governance.
Governor Ishaku does not also find Alhassan as one of his favorite politicians in the state either. As the only minister from the state, there appears to be no collaboration between the duo at all. Ishaku is quoted to have accused the minister of been “highly insensitive” and “playing cheap politics with human lives just to score some political points”.
They have clashed on several occasions over issues, including relief materials for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the handling of Gembu crisis, the use of the VIP lounge at the Danbaba Danfulani Suntai Airport, Jalingo, among others.
During a recent visit of vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the state, youths, loyal to Alhassan allegedly stoned the governor when he went with the visiting Osinbajo to Alhassan house where Osinbajo was to meet with APC loyalists. That goes out to show the extent of animosity between the duo, a source told Daily Sun.
This is besides the fact that Alhassan is perceived not to enjoy the goodwill of Ishaku’s perceived godfather, General T.Y. Danjuma, and the duo been in different political parties at the moment.
However, Alhassan had earlier announced her unwavering support for Abubakar and her preference for him to President Muhammadu Buhari for the number one seat in the country come 2019. Alhassan had said that if Buhari were to contest against Atiku, she would support Atiku over Buhari. This was in the midst of talks about Atiku’s imminent defection from the party that came to manifestation just weeks later.
With Atiku moving over to the PDP, it follows naturally that her loyalty moves with him to his new party and interest, Daily Sun gathered. A source close to Alhassan who pleaded anonymity however revealed that she may never defect to the PDP in Taraba state but would continue to work for Atiku, even as an APC member.
Spokesman of the APC Integrity group Mr Aaron Artimas however said that it would not come as a surprise if Alhassan defects to the PDP, since her mentor has already taken the lead. Artimas insisted that even if she stays in the APC, the party would not accord her any trust as she would obviously be working to protect the interest of her mentor that is now against the interest of the APC.
“It is clear that she is now more of a PDP member than a member of the APC. She publicly declared her support for Atiku who is now in the PDP and it follows naturally that she would also move over to the PDP. Her major political ally in the state Mr Abdulmunini Vakki is now the Taraba State coordinator of Atiku Abubakar activities. So how can you be in the APC and be coordinating the political activities of a candidate in another party? You will definitely have to work against your own party. So as it is now, both of them are seeing as moles in the APC and are treated with great caution and their movement would be a great relief, considering that the party has a very strong base outside Aisha and Vakki”, Artimas said.
Another source told Daily Sun that, with her open profession of loyalty to Atiku and the latter’s defection to the PDP, the APC would be wary and suspicious of her and where her true loyalty lies, especially if Atiku and Buhari eventually get the tickets to contest against each other in the 2019 general election.
But the APC legal adviser in Taraba Halidu Yakubu disclosed that Alhassan may never conceive the idea of defecting to the PDP, let alone teaming up with Governor Ishaku.
According to Yakubu, “I don’t see her (Alhassan) leaving the APC for another party, especially the PDP even if the party were to hand her their governorship ticket, let alone, going to work with the governor as his deputy. I strongly doubt if she will do that, although this is politics and you know that people can do a lot of things just to achieve their political ambitions.”
He however said the party was still very comfortable with Alhassan and has no doubts about her loyalty to the party both at the state and national levels.
Reacting to the alleged talks between the Ishaku and the Alhassan camps, the state publicity secretary of the PDP Mr Inuwa Bakare told our correspondent that he was not aware ofsuch talks, but could not deny categorically the possibility of such.
Bakare told Daily Sun that the PDP doors were widely open to welcome anyone or group who have decided to fall back in line. According to Bakare, “Aisha (Alhassan) has been part of PDP from the onset. The PDP made her a senator and brought her to political limelight. So for us in the PDP, she is simply welcomed home. She is a daughter of the party.
“And with the defection of Atiku (Abubakar) to the PDP now, it has given confidence to a lot of people who were having doubts and reservations initially and one would naturally expect a wave of defection to follow that soon. So we are not surprised if she has plans to return to the party, but I am not aware of any talks to that effect involving the PDP”, Bakare said.
In the same vein, the state chairman of the PDP Mr Victor Bala on his part said that the party was open to all and welcomes anyone who decides at any point to join the party.
Bala however insists that the Ishaku remains the sole candidate of the party for the 2019 governorship race in the state, saying there was no vacancy in the government house till 2023.
“PDP as a party would always welcome everyone who decides at any point to return home. You are aware that most of the people parading themselves as APC today were at one point or the other members of the PDP. So they are always welcome back home. Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku however remains our sole candidate for the governorship race 2019”, Bala insisted.
Daily Sun gathered that the arrangement is for the present deputy governor, Haruna Manu to contest for the senate while Senator Aisha Alhassan takes his place as the running mate to the governor. The central senatorial zone where the deputy governor comes from is currently represented by Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf of the APC, while Alhassan’s Northern zone is occupied by Senator Shuiabu Lau of the PDP.
An Ishaku/Alhassan ticket seems to be a very viable option, considering the fact that Alhassan also pulls a lot of weight and a political marriage between the two might mean polling together the power of incumbency and the strongest opposition candidate together, going by 2015 election results, sources told Daily Sun.
If that happens, it was further learnt, it would make 2019 almost a walk in the park for the PDP. “It would also resolved the fear of another candidate from the Southern zone taking over from Ishaku in 2019 and wanting a two term, thus extending the time of the zone beyond the customary two terms,” sources told Daily Sun.
However, a political analyst, Gambo Yahaya, said “Aisha and Darius can never trust themselves enough to work together as governor and deputy. They would simply be too suspicious of each other’s actions and every move to be able to provide any meaningful governance for the people.
“Besides that, you know that both of them have a tendency of holding their shoulders very high. That means there would be too much demand for loyalty and excessive apprehension of intimidation, even where it actually may not even exist. No. I don’t see Ishaku and Aisha working as a team. It won’t be out of place to suspect that, Aisha’s desperation at clinching the seat might make her try to oust her principal through any means possible”, Yahaya said.
Another factor that may work seriously against the possibility of the union is the state PDP chairman Mr Victor Bala Kona. Kona is considered by many as the alpha and omega of Taraba PDP, with the powers to call the shots almost singlehandedly.
According to Gambo «PDP in Taraba is synonymous with Victor Bala who is perhaps, one of the most powerful PDP state chairmen in the country now”.
The former state publicity secretary of the party Mr Napoleon Adamu had earlier accused Kona of “running the party as though it were his personal enterprise”.
Alhassan’s political antecedents in the state with the alleged betrayal of the late Governor Danbaba Suntai, who worked against Rev Jolly Nyame for her to win the Senate in 2011, have earned her some foes in the PDP, who will do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn’t have a serious place in the party, another source said.
In any case, politics has long been established as a game of interest, where there is no permanent enemy or friend. As such, the key PDP players in Taraba such as Senator Emmanuel Bwacha could simply shield their swords and risk an Ishaku/Alhassan 2019 ticket, it was further gathered.