Two major pressure groups have risen in stout defence of the nomination of Aisha Abubakar as the ministerial nominee from Sokoto State against campaigns from some politicians in the state.

A former Sokoto governor who is a serving federal legislator has been accused of being the mastermind of some of the “frivolous” petitions filed at the Senate against Sokoto’s first female ministerial nominee.

Reacting to the development, The Concerned Sokoto People today declared in a statement that it is uncharitable for the top politician to embark upon such an act against his party woman.

According to the group, “It is a grave disservice to Nigerians, to President Muhammadu Buhari, to the APC and to Sokoto people, that it is only from Sokoto State that an APC chieftain, a defacto leader will sponsor, in whatever guise, a frivolous petition challenging the carefully selected nomination of a minister from his own state by his own President.

“President Buhari has made it clear that he and he alone will be responsible on who serves in his government. All APC leaders across the country have accepted this position and have supported the president to succeed so that this country, our country, can move forward.”

While applauding President Buhari’s decision to nominate Aisha Abubakar for screening and approval by the Senate, the group described the nominee as a role model to the rising intellectual women who struggled daily on gender equality in the predominantly conservative northern state of Sokoto.

“She is not only an international banker and top manager of human and material resources, she has dedicated herself as a staff in national and regional institutions to the promotion of developmental issues that target the low and middle income earners in Nigeria and Africa,” the group explained.

Another group, the “Concerned Stakeholders for Good Governance”, dismissed issues raised against Miss Abubakar, saying they are not tenable.

It described as worrisome, the move by interest groups discriminating against President Buhari’s choice of a ministerial nominee based on gender, pointing out that women played a critical role in Buhari’s emergence as President.

The group argued that having served in various organisations in the public service with over 20 years’ experience in banking and investment, rural enterprise development and microcredit administration, international development, policy analysis and business support, Aisha is adequately qualified to become a minister. It added that there is no legal requirement under any Nigerian law that a person must be a member of a political party before he or she can be appointed a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or into any other executive position. The group argued that the appointment of Miss Abubakar has in no way contravened any legal provision as far as party membership is concerned.

Aisha is daughter of ex-Super Permanent Secretary and Finance Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, the current Sardauna of Sokoto and heir to the sultanate throne. The ministerial nominee is a seventh generation descendant of Sheikh Usman Danfodio, the 18th century founder of the Sokoto Caliphate. From from the maternal side, Aishat is said to be the granddaughter of his eminence, Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki, the 18th Sultan of Sokoto.

•Photo shows Aisha Abubakar.

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