The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has
again demanded the removal of the acting
chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Amina
Zakari.
This comes 48 hours after the party criticized
President Muhammadu Buhari on his decision
to appoint Mrs. Zakari after former chairman,
Professor Attahiru Jega handed over to Ahmed
Wali.
The party noted it would continue to demand
Zakari’s removal despite attacks on its
officials by the presidency.
This was disclosed in a statement released by
the party spokesman, Olisa Metuh on
Facebook.
The party said it is aware of the fact that
“Mrs. Zakari who has a strong relationship
with President Muhammadu Buhari and a
very prominent APC Northwest governor is
collaborating with the ruling party to post
Resident Electoral Commissioners of its
choice to Kogi and Bayelsa ahead of the
forthcoming governorship elections in
those states” .
According to the PDP, the move to use Zakari
as head of the commission is aimed at
tinkering with electoral personnel and materials
for the two states in favour of the APC.
Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday, July
4, said:
“President Buhari, in appointing Mrs.
Zakari, failed to take into cognizance the
moral call to detach himself from the
operation of the electoral body thereby
completely eroding the independence of
the commission.
“We want Nigerians to know that with this
appointment, INEC has been stripped of its
independence and can no longer command
the confidence and respect of the citizens
and all other critical stakeholders in the
nation’s electoral process.
“We however find it astonishing,
discouraging and disheartening that the
spokesperson of the President will address
Nigerians and lie to the entire citizenry
that Mrs. Zakari never had any relationship
with the President or an APC Governor in
the Northwest. This is the height of
deception coming from the respected
office of the President of our dear country.
Chief Olisa-Metuh, National Publicity Secretary
PDP
“We ask, is the spokesperson of the
President, oblivious of the public fact that
the Acting Chairman of INEC was once a
staff of Afri-Project Consortium, a
company well associated with the
President?
“Is he by any means feigning ignorance of
the fact that Mrs. Zakari also worked in
the past as Secretary of Health and
Human Services, Social Development and
later, that of Agriculture and Rural
Development in the Federal Capital
Development Authority, then under a
current APC governor of the Northwest?
“How much of Mrs. Zakari’s roles in the
last general elections does the
spokesperson of the President, who has
just been appointed, know to warrant his
brazen defence?
“Even where we concede to the worn-out
argument that the President has the
powers to appoint any person he deems fit
as the INEC Chairman, does moral
obligation not demand that in doing so he
should take into cognizance the sensitivity
of the position? Otherwise he can as well
appoint his wife or brother as the electoral
umpire on an argument of merit.
“Whilst the PDP might not be opposed to
Mrs. Zakari becoming one out of the
numerous national electoral commissioners
to be so appointed, we completely reject
her being an executive chairman who takes
major decisions in an independent
electoral commission while having a
strong relationship with the President and
a prominent APC Northwest governor.
“Indeed, never in the history of Nigeria has
there been an executive chairman of the
electoral body with such strong
relationship with the president of the
country.
“If therefore the stance and choice of
words of the Presidential spokesperson,
which apparently fall short of the civility of
a democratic setting, reflect in any way
those of President Buhari, then there is
serious question on his credentials as a
converted democrat.
“Conversely, we caution that presidential
spokespersons in representing the
President, must note that the psychology
of their personal sudden flight to political
limelight should not engineer a trauma of
monumental deceit to our great nation.
“Having in the last 16 years reformed the
nation’s electoral system to an enviable
status that is being commended by the
international community, we cannot sit
back and watch too early in the day, its
gradual destruction by partisan interest.
“The party therefore urge Nigerians,
especially key stakeholders in the
democratic process to rise above
sectional, religious, gender and partisan
biases and put the independence of INEC,
the credibility of the electoral process and
the overall interest of the nation above
every other consideration in their
comments and views on the appointment.”
The PDP stressed that as long as the acting
chairman remains in office, it would not
recognize the electoral body as the
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) but as the National Electoral
Commission (NEC).
Meanwhile, the party has come under fire from
13 registered political parties in Nigeria for
opposing President Muhammadu Buhari’s
appointment of Amina Zakari as the acting
National Chairman of INEC.

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Mr APC chieftain tell the frog-eyed Tinubu to leave Saraki alone so he can settle down. Its only fair na.