PDP rejects Zakari as Ag. INEC chairman

OKUNADE ADEKUNLE

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the removal of the newly appointed acting chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Amina Zakari.

Zakari was appointed as head of INEC by President Muhammadu Buhari hours after its former chairman, Attahiru Jega, handed over to Ahmed Wali, another national commissioner.

Addressing a press conference in his office yesterday, PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said that the party was disturbed by the development where Buhari, who knew that Jega would be leaving office by June 30, waited for him to handover to a national commissioner only to reverse it immediately, thereby injecting bad blood in the commission.

“The situation in INEC since the PDP government reformed and granted it operational autonomy has been peaceful, but Tuesday’s untidy overruling of Prof. Jega and appointing of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting chairman which, we gathered was influenced by personal relationship with the presidency and one of the new governors of the North West, ostensibly to pave the way for the APC at the electoral tribunals, has completely eroded public trust in the commission,” he said.

Metuh said although the PDP recognizes the right and powers of the president to appoint the chairman of INEC and others, such as that of the Accountant General of the Federation, which was done recently, he said the party rejects attempts to paint the process as transparent and objective when such was not the case.

“In INEC, the PDP states in unequivocal terms that we cannot, as critical stakeholders, fold our hands and watch while the presidency perpetuates actions that diminish the independence of the electoral commission.

“The PDP has declared the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as unacceptable and demands that President Buhari changes her immediately,” he said.

The PDP spokesperson said due process was not observed in Zakari’s appointment and that “Mrs. Zakari has shown in the last elections that she is manifestly biased in favour of the APC”.

Metuh said the appointment smacks of nepotism. Metuh also said since the APC appeared to have trusted the ex-chairman of INEC, Jega, and commended him for conducting free and fair elections, “why would they not trust him on who to hold forth in the commission until a substantive chairman is appointed, rather than appointing someone who is retiring from the commission in the next three weeks?”

He said the way Buhari and the party go about the business of governance so far does not inspire confidence among Nigerians.

He said with the prevailing record of Buhari on appointments, it is unlikely that a substantive INEC chairman will be appointed in the next one year.

He, therefore, wondered whether there was a hidden agenda in the appointment of Zakari.

“Has Mrs. Zakari been handed a script to act given that we have cases in the tribunals in addition to the forthcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa?

“As you are aware, today marks exactly thirty-two days of the inauguration of a new administration under the APC, which was elected into power over three months ago on the basis of their numerous promises to the Nigerian people.

“Even though this government has continued to plead for patience, we are worried that indications from President Muhammadu Buhari and his party do not inspire desired confidence in the citizenry that they are adequately equipped and ready to chart a direction for the enormous challenges of governance.

“In the last one month, instead of a journey to change as they claim, all we have witnessed are avoidable tension, wrangling within the ruling party, disruption of legislative activities in our National Assembly, painful economic stagnation, pronouncement of voodoo achievements and overall uncertainty in the polity all due to the apparent inability of our respected president to provide leadership.”