Nwangwu Uba
With barely one month and 10 days to the 2019 Presidential election , Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, members of the Coalition of Political Parties , CUPP and Nigerians in general appear to have been caught up with the Amina Zakari fever.
Atiku, CUPP and Nigerians may not be comfortable with the controversial appointment of Mrs. Zakari as the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Committee on National Collation Center and Logistics, by Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor and Chairman of the Commission over her blood relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari.
But the INEC
The INEC top shot noted that she was in the Commission when Jonathan defeated Buhari in 2011 Presidential election and thus, challenged anyone who had any wrongdoing against her to come forward with evidence, assuring Nigerians that” there was no cause to worry about the 2019 Presidential election being manipulated to favour Buhari, the APC Candidate”.
”I am a single person out of 16,000 staff and
In a widely
Buhari may have given room for people to suspect that there is something fishy about the appointment because of their close link since 2010 when she was appointed into the Commission by the then President Jonathan based on his recommendation.
Recall that the Bayelsa state born former President had requested him to nominate a name to be appointed into the Commission in 2010 and he recommended the Controversial Mrs. Zakari, who had worked as a Special Adviser to former President Olusegun
Political watchers who are conversant with the Katsina state born President style of appointments since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, would attest to the fact that he will not appoint anyone into his government without a close link to the person or being recommended by a political associate. It is not surprising why Aisha the First Lady had accused him of not knowing ”45 0f the 50 of the people he had appointed into his government as ministers or Chief Executive Officer of Parastatals.
Could it be said that the hand of the two or three most powerful people in the Presidency who the First Lady had said, had great influence on the President may have influenced the Mrs. Zakari INEC strategic appointment.
Given the heat on the President over the appointment of Mrs. Zakari to Head the National Collation a Center and Logistics Committee of the Commission, the Presidency has denied any involvement in the controversial appointment, describing the allegations of the PDP that it was a plot to rig the 2019 Presidential election next month in favour of Buhari, the APC Candidate. The Presidency noted that the PDP appointed Mrs. Zakari into INEC when it was in power and wondered why they should be crying over their past mistake in government.
Yakubu, the INEC boss who feel worried over the reaction of Nigerians over the appointment of Mrs. Zakari to Head the Commission Collation Center and Logistics said there was no basis for it. According to
He had corroborated Mrs. Zakari claims that she is not in any way related to Buhari, stressing that she is from
Yakubu, may have told the leadership of the Academics Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who had expressed their worry that the 2019 Presidential election may not be free , fair and credible as promised with Mrs. Zakari as the Head of the Committee
Shedding more light about the appointment to the ASUU officials, the former University Don said , the ”responsibility for managing the venues of the elections does not in any way involve the collation of results ” an indication that people have no reason to fear of the Presidential election being manipulated to favour Buhari, of the ruling APC government.
He had told ASSU officials: I am absolutely responsible for the
He disclosed that the 1989 Constitution as Amended was very clear on who is
This may have gladdened the heart of ASUU officials to give their words to participate in the 2019 election and to call off their strike over unfulfilled demands by the government. There are indications that the Federal government may have met the demand of ASUU