The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Obiageli Ezekwesili and former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode have slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for appointing Amina Zakari, a niece of President Muhammadu Buhari, as chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Election Collation Centre Committee.
Ezekwesili and Fani-Kayode reacted in separate tweets via their verified Twitter handles on Thursday evening.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had raised the alarm in a Thursday statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
Ologbondiyan said, “Today (Thursday), we have been informed that the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, apparently in furtherance of the plots to rig the Presidential election, has appointed Mrs. Amina Zakari, a blood relation (niece) of the APC candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential election Collation Center Committee.
“The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization, PPCO, outrightly, vehemently and unequivocally rejects, in its entirety, the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari, President Buhari’s blood relation, as the head of the collation of results, in the same election in which his uncle, President Buhari, as a candidate, has displayed a huge desperation to win.
“The appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari, who had been openly accused in various quarters as being the link person between INEC and the Buhari Presidency in their schemes to rig the election for President Buhari, constitutes a direct violence against the Presidential election and the PDP will not, in any way, whatsoever, accept it.
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“This is the same Amina Zakari, who headed the Information and Communication Technology, ICT, Department of INEC at the time that department was accused of manipulating the INEC voter register to accommodate fictitious, underage and alien voters, particularly, in remote areas where they plan to allocate and announce conjured votes for President Buhari and the APC.
“It will interest Nigerians to note that this is the same Amina Zakari that was alleged to have played some roles in the 2018 governorship election in Osun state, where the electoral processes were flagrantly abused.
“In appointing Mrs. Amina Zakari to head the collation of this Presidential election, Professor Yakubu has confirmed that he has been compromised and that he has already succumbed to pressure by the Presidency and APC to open the way for the self-succession of President Buhari.”
Reacting, Ezekwesili said, “It is now quite obvious that the INEC Chairman is making decisions that cannot at all be INDEPENDENT. How in the world can INEC (appoint) Amina Zakari – niece of President Muhammadu Buhari – as its Head of Collation Center? Are the INEC Chairman & President ready for the grave consequence?
See tweet:
It is now quite obvious that the @inecnigeria Chairman is making decisions that cannot at all be INDEPENDENT. How in the world can@inecnigeria Amina Zakari – niece of @MBuhari – as its Head of Collation Center? Are the INEC Chairman &President ready for the grave consequence?
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) January 3, 2019
Also reacting, Fani-Kayode said, “Amina Zakari, Buhari’s neice and a member of his staff when he was Chairman of PTF has been appointed Chairperson of the INEC Advisory Committee & Pres. Election Collation Center Committee. Do you still believe that there will be a free and fair election in Nigeria on Feb. 16th?”
See tweet:
Amina Zakari,Buhari's neice and a member of his staff when he was Chairman of PTF has been appointed Chairperson of the INEC Advisory Committee & Pres. Election Collation Center Committee. Do you still believe that there will be a free and fair election in Nigeria on Feb. 16th?
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) January 3, 2019