The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, told newsmen at a briefing yesterday in Abuja that the appointment of Mrs Zakari and Ahmed Idris, acting national chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation respectively, did not follow due process.
Metuh also accused Mrs Zakari, who was appointed as INEC national commissioner by the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of bias for the All Progressives Congress (APC). It demanded reversal of her appointment.
Metuh said: “We have a president and a party that have since 32 days been unable to decide on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff to the President, ministers and his demand for 15 special advisers as approved by the PDP-controlled Seventh Assembly since June 5, 2015.
“Even the very little intervention made on appointments such as those of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the acting chairman of INEC, has not shown our beloved president as an even-handed and patriotic leader, resulting in the confusion and crisis of confidence that have trailed the two appointments.
“The PDP is particularly disturbed by the development in INEC, where President Muhammadu 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 hand over 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 appointment of Mrs. 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 recognises the right and powers of the president to appoint the chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), we reject attempt 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 perpetuates actions that diminish the independence of the electoral commission.
“The PDP has declared the appointment of Mrs. Zakari as unacceptable and demand that President Buhari change her immediately.
“Our reasons include the fact that due process was not observed in the appointment and that Mrs. Zakari has shown in the last elections that she is manifestly biased in favour of the APC.
Meawhile, the Presidency has denied allegations by the PDP that President Muhammadu Buhari did not follow due process in the appointment of Mrs. Zakari as the acting chairman of NEC.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, described as boring and mere rehash of baseless allegations by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, saying he had nothing new to say apart from his charge of nepotism and partisanship.
Adeshina denied that Buhari overruled former INEC’s Chairman Attahiru Jega choice, saying his handing over to another commissioner could not be considered an appointment as only the president had the constitutional rights to appoint as in the case of Zakari.
Adesina said Zakari’s appointment was on merit based purely on her vast experience in the internal operations of INEC and the president’s commitment to affirmative action in support of gender equality, “because, apart from being fully qualified for the position, Mrs Zakari was the only woman among the six commissioners considered.”
The presidential spokesman noted that Metuh’s allegations were nothing but falsehoods contrived “to unjustly denigrate a president popularly elected by Nigerians to undo the damage done to the nation by years of PDP rule.”
Adesina said: “We have noted with regret, the latest tirade against President Muhammadu Buhari issued today (yesterday) by the PDP’s spokesman, Mr. Olisa Metuh.
“Other than boring reporters at his press conference with a rehash of baseless allegations of inaction against the president, Metuh clearly had nothing new to say apart from his charge of nepotism and partisanship in the appointment of the acting INEC chairman, which also lacks any factual foundation.”
