Source: International Business Times
 |
| Aisha Al-Hassan |
Many Nigerians thought voters in Taraba
state would make history by electing the nation's first female governor. But
Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan, known as "Mama Taraba" by her supporters,
lost to her main challenger, Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), the Premium Times in
Nigeria said Tuesday.
As the April 11
election neared, Al-Hassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged as a
leading candidate in the race for the Taraba governorship, making it one of the
most contested polls in Nigeria this year. Al-Hassan, an attorney, defected
from the PDP and joined the opposition party after she was elected senator for
the Taraba North constituency in 2011. She was the Taraba state attorney
general and commissioner of justice as well as the chief registrar of the High
Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Al-Hassan, a
Muslim, pooled a large number of votes from the Gasol local government area as
vote counting entered its second day in Taraba, allowing her to surpass the
PDP’s candidate, Nigerian newspaper Osun Defender reported. The lead triggered
early celebrations nationwide by those who expected Al-Hassan to become the
first female state executive. But as the final results from all 16 local
government areas in the eastern state trickled in, Ishaku regained the lead by
nearly 64,000 votes and hopes of making history sunk, the Premium Times said
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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