– Taraba state government alleged that the attack on Aisha Alhassan was ochestrated by her thugs
– The government said the minister failed to give her thugs some money and they revolted
Taraba state government said the Saturday, August 18, attack on the convoy of the minister of women affairs and social development, Aishat Alhassan, by hoodlums during Takum 1 assembly election was done by the minister’s thugs revolting over unsettled bills.
Vanguard reports that the governor of Taraba made the claim through his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Bala Dan-Abu, at a briefing in the government house, Jalingo on Monday, August 20.
“What we discovered was that the attack was done from within her party and her group.
“She brought some people from Gombe and Bauchi as part of her rented crowd because she knows she was not going to get any support from Takum.
“Unfortunately, that business relationship was mismanaged because she failed to pay members of the crowd that she brought.
“What we saw in the form of attack as she claimed to have suffered was a revolt by her own group, the rented crowd that she brought into Takum.”
However, the minister said the governor’s claim was ridiculous and an attempt to smear her name.
“Anybody that knows me can attest that I don’t do politics of thuggery because I am a mother and will never pray that my children become political thugs and will likewise not take another person’s child as a political thug.
“The election was not concluded when they attacked me so it couldn’t have been me not paying them after working for me and they attacked me in revolt.
“This is a very big lie because the attack could have happened after the election so it is laughable defence on the part of the government.”
Meanwhile, TRACK NEWS earlier reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, August 19, declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Hon. Garba Ajiya, as the winner of Saturday, August 18’s bye-election into Takum 1 state constituency.
The PDP candidate polled 10,725 to defeat his closest opponent and the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Hon. Atem Ansho who polled 3,268 votes.
