Following the controversy surrounding the appointment of Amina Zakari, a commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the Head of the Collation Committee, the Presidency has come forward to deny allegations of familial ties with the new Commissioner.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President denied being related to Amina Zakari, stating that the allegation by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was baseless and an attempt to harass a hardworking Nigerian citizen.
“In another mendacious press release, the PDP has continued their baseless accusations regarding Zakari, accusing her of partiality and casting doubts about her integrity as electoral commissioner,” the statement read.
While accusing the opposition party of bearing hidden agendas, the statement also declared that the PDP failed at its own game by “scoring an own goal,” as Zakari was appointed an Electoral Commissioner in INEC during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, solely based on merit.
“In their desperation, they forget that it was the PDP government that appointed her in the first place and they keep lying, as they have been caught doing on so many issues, by imputing a blood relationship between her and President Buhari. President Buhari and Commissioner Amina Zakari don’t share a family relationship. An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families, so the imputation of blood relationship between the President and the electoral commissioner is a simple lie.”
Hammering on the appointment being originally set in motion by PDP, the statement also noted: “She served so well with distinction, as can be verified from the records, that President Buhari approved the recommendation that she be reappointed, as he did other PDP nominees for a second-term of four years.”
The Presidency further explained that the opposition party had no “moral right” to continuously harass of the Commissioner representing Jigawa State, unless they have a “hidden agenda.”
Zakari, while speaking to BBC in an interview last Saturday, reiterated the comment made by the Presidency, stating that her appointment dates back to the PDP administration. She served as a Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and was eventually appointed as an INEC Commissioner by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I’m not his niece; I am not his cousin and, on this job, I was since 2010 by President Jonathan. Prior to that, I was appointed as SA to President Obasanjo and I have done my work conscientiously over the three years as a patriotic citizen of Nigeria.”
Zakari further explained that this was a distraction ahead of the elections, saying, “I don’t think I should be distracted now that elections are coming. I will continue doing my work, I will continue to serve my country to the best of my ability with the best of intentions. President Muhammadu Buhari is my President as everybody else’s President.
With just a few weeks to the Nigerian general elections, this controversy seems to join an already lengthy list of issues that serve as a bone of contention between the Buhari led government, and the opposition party PDP, fronted by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
