MAMA TARABA: NIGERIA MARGARET THATCHER IN MAKING

BY AYODELE SEUN

Sen.Aisha Jummai Alhassan is a mumuye by tribe, one of the largest tribe in Taraba state. A lawyer by training, she became Taraba state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice. She was appointed the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on 17 December 2003. She contested Taraba North Senatorial seat under the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), she ran an energetic election campaign, managing to gain Christian support despite herself being Muslim. She is generous and good hearted. She defeated Jolly Nyame of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

She is among the few women that won senatorial seat in the 2011 National Assembly Election; she was appointed Vice Chairman of Senate Committee of Women Affairs and Member Senate Committee of Housing and Urban Development.

She is Senator presently representing Taraba North, which she won under the platform of PDP. She later defected to All Progressive Congress (APC) and became the Governorship candidate of Taraba State for the 2015 general elections. Her candidacy revives hope in Nigerians that the first democratic elected female governor may emerge in Nigeria. She fought gallantly but lost to Darius Ishaku of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the rerun elections of 25 April, 2015.

Many factors work against her success in the poll, APC crisis in the state were deepen after the APC primary election in the state, the three governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Congress (APC) they stage a walk out of the nomination of the Sen. Aisha Alhassan with 17,000 APC supporters defect to PDP.And also APC lack structure on ground to reconcile their aggrieved members.

Secondly, Religion factor play a vital role in her defeat at the poll, Taraba state is predominantly Christian state and they opted voting for their Christian brother. Nigeria Democracy is still growing and religion in particular is still shaping the pattern of voting in Nigeria.

Thirdly, the final factor that works against her at the poll is gender inequality. Nigeria is yet to produce her first female elected governor and this is monumental mountain that anybody that will clamp it must ready to face mountainous challenges.

Nigeria democracy is growing and with the iron lady like Nigeria Margaret Thatcher in making (Sen. Aisha Jummai Alhassan) as I love to call her, Gender Inequality in Nigeria politics will soon become things of the past and affirmative action on women will soon be achieve in Nigeria. Nigeria Margaret Thatcher in making has given us hope that not only that Nigeria first elected female governor may soon emerged and also Nigeria may soon have female elected President too.