Aisha Does Not Deserve Our Nakedness

We read with a hint of derision and dismay a threat issued by some Abuja based jobless women that they would go naked if the APC candidate, Hajiya loses the re-run slated for April 25th.

These women, if they really exist, cannot be citizens of Taraba state and do not represent the views of women here.

We women of Taraba have unanimously endorsed the PDP candidate and have voted him in an election the same Aisha is plotting to cancel. We must resist her.

We enjoin independent seekers of truth to go Taraba and interview women there. They would be shocked what many of them think of Aisha.

Fact is that Aisha is not the heroine her media handlers are trying to make her appear. And as a coalition of serious minded women, Aisha, in our view is actually a disgrace to the womenfolk of Taraba.

Here is a woman whom we can’t say has inspired anyone in terms of matrimony or monetary deals. A serial divorcee, we wonder what she would be teaching our daughters.

If she ever gets to Government House, Jalingo, clearly Nigeria would have gotten its first executive Red Light district! We know what we are talking about.

We detest her indecent use of feminism in this election. Aisha has continue to hoodwink the world that if elected she would have been the first elected female governor. That seems to be all that matters to her. She wants to make history.

But what part of that history is of any benefit to us as women? So if we have a female governor, does that mean that our lot would become better?

If Aisha becomes governor does that mean she would empower all the women in our state? What has she done for women to warrant our support? All we see is a very morally bankrupt woman parading herself as a champion of women. Whenever she comes to Taraba, all she does is demean the poor folks with her loud sirens.

Although her moniker has now been changed to “Mama Taraba”, the truth is that she used to be called “Mama mai Container.” She got this name because of her proclivity to come into town with a loud entourage, after which she announces that she is around with container of money.

In most cases, the containers actually contain cheap wrappers. When many women around her saw through her shenanigans, they just walked away from her. Aisha likes to cheapen people around her. She is also cantankerous, always making trouble. That is not the way we Taraba women are.

And speaking of intimidation, Aisha is actually the one doing all the intimidation now. She is holding press conferences and practically blackmailing the PDP. She lied that the party rigged. She lied that the Acting Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi, is fighting her. She lied that she has the majority of votes in the Southern zone. That is certainly not possible.

Aisha did not lose the election because she is a woman. After all, she won the senate seat as a woman- the first in Taraba history for that matter. Aisha lost the election because

1. Taraba is predominantly a PDP state. This is the pattern since 2007. Even now, the PDP swept all the National and State Assembly seats. The APC stands no chance.

2. Political leaders of the Southern Zone want power shift to the region. The main anchor of this election is that of power shift. The North, where Aisha comes from, has been in power for 10 years. No one wants any of that again and Governor Danbaba Suntai (who has done 8 years from the central zone) wants power to shift to the south for balance. How can Aisha hope to win in the bastion of the power shift agitation? It makes no sense. The southern zone and their allies all over the state actually have decided power should shift to the south. This has affected Aisha’s position.

3. Aisha, like we pointed out, has moral issues, especially her uncertain marital status. A majority of men and women in the state know all the shady private life of the woman and they are not down for that. She doesn’t have even the temperament of a governor. As senator, we dare challenge; she did not show any visible sign of helping up lift the state.

4. Taraba is a traditional society. Such novelty is not easy for our local people to contemplate

5. Aisha is up against a formidable opponent in the person of Arc. Darius Ishaku a former minister in three ministries. Track records apart, he is a man of integrity and impeachable character compared to the sleazy Aisha.

Using Gender As a Weapon of Manipulation.

The way Aisha is going about it, you would know she is merely using her status as a woman to cry wolf when there is none.

It is an effective weapon for sympathy generation, especially outside the shores of Taraba. But we dare say that elections are not won on the basis of gender. They are won on the basis of raw votes from an election. Aisha is behaving as if she wants Taraban and indeed Nigerians to APPOINT rather than ELECT her a female governor.

BUT JUST AS SHE WON HER SENATE SEAT UNDER THE PDP IN 2011 THROUGH RAW VOTES, THAT IS HOW SHE SHOULD BE PLANNING TO WIN THIS LATEST CONTEST AND NOT BY GOING ABOUT CRYING LIKE A VILLAGE WITCH.

THAT WAS NOT THE WAY HILARY CLINTON CAMPAIGNED. And even in that advanced country Hilary lost to Barack Obama because the people believed he was the better choice. In any case, even if we want to support a woman to become governor, it is not the likes of Senator Aisha who lacks the moral basis to be a people’s leader. Period.

Mairo Abdullahi is a public analyst based in Taraba