FOLLOWING her open declaration against any second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan, stormed the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday.
She had recently caused a stir when she openly declared support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential race rather than Buhari who appointed her into the federal cabinet.
In a BBC Hausa interview, she had rationalized her position saying: “Atiku is my godfather even before I join politics, and again Baba Buhari did not tell us that he is going to run in 2019.
“And let me tell you today that if Baba said he is going to contest in 2019, I swear to Allah, I will go before him and kneel and tell him that ‘Baba I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve your government as a minister. But Baba just like you know, I will support only Atiku because he is my godfather.”
This has since drawn the ire of President Buhari’s supporters who are insisting that she should be sacked as a minister of the federal republic as her lack of support for the president is perceived as a betrayal.
But on Wednesday, apparently unperturbed by the hostility towards her, she came into the Aso Chamber venue of FEC and heartily exchanged pleasantries with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other ministers seated before the arrival of the president.
She took her time to walk from one side of the hall to another greeting and chatting with her colleagues as they waited for the arrival of the president and commencement of the meeting.
As she moved around, photojournalists present scrambled to have pictures of her from different angles.
She assumed her seat a short moment before the arrival of the president for the commencement of the council meeting.
Sack threat: Buhari not naive, says Alhassan on visit to Aso Rock a day after her outburst, Alhassan, was at the presidential villa on Thursday, saying that President Buhari could not be pressured to sack her from his cabinet on account of not supporting his 2019 presidential ambition.
According her, the president was not that naive to succumb to pressure, but she also said that she did not know the president’s current disposition towards her over her statement since she was yet to meet with him.
However, she expressed her readiness to accept anything that the president may decide as she declared that everything comes from God.