Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Jummai, told KWARARAFA REPORTERS in an exclusive interview, Wednesday, that she would resign from his cabinet should President Muhammadu Buhari declare an interest in the 2019 presidential race. She also said President Buhari has not shown any interest in running since he earlier said he was only interested in one term.

The minister's comment where, via a leaked video, she wished that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar becomes President in 2019, has continued to generate heat in the polity with some opponents calling for her resignation. They said she could not be in Buhari's cabinet and still be wishing Atiku becomes president.

But in a swift reaction, Alhassan told KR that it makes no sense that people should ask for her resignation or even a sack by her boss as she has done nothing wrong.

She said, "first and foremost, that wasn't a leaked video. I said what I said before many cameras and reporters in the room. So it wasn't something I said in secret. Then my point is very clear. It was a just a wishful statement. I wasn't campaigning. How is that campaigning when I was standing before Baba Atiku himself? Was I campaigning to him? And is it campaign time already? I simply expressed an opinion because even our dear president knows that I'm still in the Atiku's camp. It was Baba Atiku that the president reached out to to bring me into cabinet. So I'm not a hypocrite. I'm very loyal to the administration and I do my work very well. I'm very loyal to the party. But that won't stop me from expressing my wishes and prayers for Baba Atiku."

On the issue of resignation as canvassed by her critics, she said she could throw in the towel on one condition. " If today," she said, "Baba Buhari said he is going to contest for the presidency, honestly I would resign, especially if Baba Atiku also says he's going to run. Now if President Buhari says he would run, you know I can't continue in the cabinet because that would be dual loyalty. And I'm not a pretender. I mean even he the president won't trust me to be in his cabinet when Baba Atiku and himself declares interest. But all these are normative conjectures. None of these great men have said they would run. The president in 2014 said he would have only one term. We all know this. He said he was only in for four years to clear the mess. That was the understanding. Now, even Baba Atiku hasn't told anyone he would run. But if Baba Buhari says he would run and my political leader says we should support him, we shall do that. After all, that's what we did in the primaries before the 2015 election. I was firmly with Atiku. But he also firmly directed us to work for Baba Buhari. And we delivered. His outing in my state Taraba was the best in the last general election in all the elections he participated in. It was our work for him."

The minister also flayed the APC faction in Taraba state called the integrity group. She blamed them for taking her statement out of contest and working to dislodge her. "The same integrity group were recently branding cars for Baba Atiku. Now they are picking holes in my innocuous comments to give it a different colour. They are hypocrites."

On the fears of being sacked, Alhassan, who ran for governor of Taraba in 2015, said she harbours no such fears. "Those who say that Baba Buhari would sack me, don't know the president well. He is not as petty or even silly as they are. He knows the meaning of what I said "in sha Allah" which is a mere wish. The president knows too well that it is not disloyalty or disrespect to him. And if you see I'm sacked, it is just the will of God. It won't be because of this statement. I think people do not know the difference between political loyalty and being loyal to an administration you are part of. I'm very loyal to my party and the government we formed. But everyone knows I'm in Atiku's camp. There is no contradiction there."