The minister of women affairs and social development, Senator Aisha Alhassan has resigned her position in order to contest the 2019 governorship election.

President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the resignation in his acceptance of her notification through a letter conveyed to her dated July 27, 2018.

In the letter, however, President Buhari raised a condition of supporting her so long as she vies on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Alhassan had famously last September vowed that she would not support Buhari’s second term ambition on the claim that he had promised to serve only one term and that she would only support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar who was at that time in the APC has now defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It was yet unclear yesterday if she would follow Abubakar to the PDP.

Alhassan was the candidate of the APC in the 2015 governorship election and lost it by the whiskers.

In his acceptance of her resignation letter, Buhari said:

I have today received your letter notifying me of your intention to contest for the governorship of Taraba State in the 2019 election.

Let me thank you on behalf of the Federal Executive Council and Nigerians for your services as minister under this administration. I note with passion your past contribution to our great party APC during and after the 2015 elections.

As you are aware I am totally committed to free and fair elections. Our policy is to support all APC candidates. I wish you well in your ambition to be governor of your state. Rest assured that all security agencies as well as INEC will have my full support to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in 2019.