Presidency, PDP Clash Over Zakari’s Appointment As INEC Acting Chair

The Presidency has clashed with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the appointment of Hajia Amina Bala Zakari as acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PDP had kicked against the appointment alleging that the Buhari presidency wanted to the new chair to subvert justice in favour of the All Progressives Congress at various tribunals.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party,  Olisa Metuh made the allegation while addressing pressmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said, “The PDP is particularly disturbed by the development in INEC where President Buhari, who knew all along that the immediate-past INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega would be leaving office by June 30, had to wait for him to handover to one of the national commissioners 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.

“Whereas the PDP recognizes the right and powers of the President to appoint the Chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), we reject attempts as in the case of the AGF to paint the process as transparent and objective when such was not the case, but brought to question the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to due process.
” In INEC, the PDP states in unequivocal terms that we cannot, as critical stakeholders fold our hands and watch while the Presidency perpetuate actions that diminish the independence of the electoral commission.

“The PDP has declared the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as unacceptable and demand that President Buhari changes her immediately.

Meanwhile, the Presidency was not taking the allegation lying low. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina who fired back at the PDP through his twitter handle said the lamentation of the opposition party just begun.

He wrote, “If PDP has begun to cry wolf where there was none on INEC chairman, then they should be set for louder lamentations”.