The minister of women’s affairs Aisha Alhassan told newsmen that she would resign if Buhari seeks re-election and would support former vice president Atiku Abubakar if he decides to run. She said Atiku is her godfather.
President Muhammadu Buhari told members of his party before he was first elected that he would only seek one term, implying he did not intend at that time to run in 2019, “In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for only one time to clean up the mess that the (previous) PDP government did in Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019,” Minister of Women Affairs Alhassan said.
Buhari took power in 2015 but has been absent for much of this year due to illness. He is yet to say if he will seek a second term.
Buhari, 74, returned on Aug. 19 from three months of medical leave in Britain for an unspecified ailment. It was his second stint of sick leave this year following a break between January and March.
Many people say they doubt whether Buhari is well enough to serve another term in Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country and has the continent’s biggest economy.
Recall that Alhassan visited Senator Ahmed Makarfi at the national secretariat of PDP and she also recently endorsed former vice president Atiku When she led a delegation to his home this Sallah,
Alhassan’s portfolio ranks relatively low down in Nigeria’s cabinet.