Amina Zakari: INEC Replies PDP

The Independent National Electoral Election (INEC) has made clarifications on its appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari, an alleged niece of President Muhammadu Buhari, as head of its presidential election collation center.

INEC’s clarification followed the widespread criticisms that trailed Zakari’s appoint on Thursday.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had in reaction to the appointment, described it as “another heinous machination by the Buhari Presidency and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to subvert the will of the people and rig the February 16 Presidential election.”

The PDP had subsequently called for Zakari’s removal, saying the party “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 her uncle, President Buhari, as a candidate, has displayed a huge desperation to win.”

But speaking during a press conference on Thursday, the INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said Zakari’s committee is “basically in charge of the physical structure (the International Conference Centre which is the collation centre)” and that “removing her as the chairman of the committee to prepare the facility is a needless controversy.

“The chairman of INEC by virtue of the electoral act is the returning officer of the country for the presidential election. It is he who decides the validity of votes and any issues in the election.

“She was also very involved in negotiating with the ICC management in 2015 for the use of the facility so her duty is to ensure the facility is ready. She has no role whatsoever with the process of collation,” said Osaze-Uzzi.