Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan has said that her declaration to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 Presidential elections was because President Muhammadu Buhari said he will not seek re-election.

Aisha said President Buhari told members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 before he was elected that he would only seek one term in office, implying that he did not intend to re-contest in 2019.

“In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for only one time to clean up the mess that the previous government did in Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019,” Alhassan told BBC Hausa Service.

‘Mama Taraba,’ as Aisha is popularly called, added: “If today Mr. President says he is running in 2019, I will go to him respectfully and thank him for giving me an opportunity to serve and then tell him that I have to resign because my political godfather may be running.

“Atiku is my godfather even before I joined politics. And again, Baba Buhari did not tell us that he is running in 2019.”

Alhassan further said she was not bothered if she would be relieved of her duties for publicily declaring her support for Atiku. She said, if that eventually happens, it will be because her time has elapsed since she has been performing her duties as a minister and defending the APC-led government.

“I’ve been doing my job as minister to the best of my knowledge. I also defend the APC government, my political party. Baba is my leader and the president of my country. I have been respecting him and I’ll continue to respect him as a good man and someone with integrity.

“So, those saying I’ll be sacked will be put to shame. Even if I’m sacked, it’s because my time is over and nothing else.” she asserted.