Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state has berated Women Affairs and Social Development minister Jummai Aisha Alhassan over her comments on 2019 presidential election candidacy and asked her to resign.
She had confirmed a BBC report where she expressed preference to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar against her boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, for the 2019 presidential ticket of APC.
Amosun, who spoke at a book launch in Abeokuta, on Saturday said although Alhassan was entitled to her opinion, he expected her to have tendered her resignation immediately after the comments.
The governor said that Alhassan was entitled to her opinion but that he would have saluted her if she had honourably resigned her appointment because no one could blow both hot and cold at the same time.
“I would have saluted her if she had resigned but falling short of resigning has taken everything away from what she had said. Well, I am not Mr President and I know that at the appropriate time he will review things.
“For somebody to have come out and say such thing means she might be working against the government and she will not want that government to succeed.
“That is my own belief. Although I may be wrong, if I am in her shoes she should have done that and resigned.’’
Amosun expressed doubt if the Minister desired the success of the Buhari – led administration since she had declared support for Atiku ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
He declared that nobody has the right to stop Buhari from contesting for the presidential election in 2019 except he himself decides against it on health ground.
“On this 2019, the only thing that can probably prevent Mr. president from contesting is on health ground,” he said.
Amosun who commended Buhari for the great positive changes he had effected in Nigeria, said he was the appropriate person the nation needed when he took over the reins of power.
“If not for this administration of President Muhammad Buhari, only God knows where Nigeria would have been by now.
“Again I am saying it, the only thing that can stop Mr President is on health ground but as we can see today, Mr President is back rejuvenating and very soon it would be clear for everybody to see that Mr president is so well now.
” I commend the President for his performance on the three cardinal programmes of his administration because he has performed better in the areas of security, economy and the fight against corruption,” he said. (NAN)