INEC Undergoes Major Shake-Up 2 Weeks After PDP Protest

Two weeks after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a protest against the Commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has undergone a major shake-up.

Recall that some bigwigs of the PDP, which included Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and National Chairman Uche Secondus, amongst others, had protested against INEC over the outcome of the Osun State governorship election.

The party had accused INEC and the Nigeria Police Force of aiding alleged rigging by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election. The ruling party’s candidate, Isiaka Oyetola, had emerged winner of the gubernatorial poll.

But in what seems a response to the protest, INEC redeployed head of its electoral operations and logistics, Amina Zakari, on Friday. Zakari was redeployed to the department of health and welfare. She had been accused by the PDP of working for President Muhammadu Buhari.

“While Prof. Mahmood Yakubu can no longer be trusted to conduct the 2019 general election, it is public knowledge that Mrs Amina Zakari, the INEC Director in charge of Operations and ICT, is a direct blood relation of Mr President and as such, we believe that she cannot be an impartial arbiter in an election involving her uncle,” the opposition party had said.

Meanwhile, the electoral commission has equally redeployed the heads of four other of its committees, said one of its national commissioners, Mohammed Haruna.

Haruna gave the new redeployment as: Festus Okoye as head of information and voter education committee; Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, board of the electoral institute; Mohammad Mustafa Lecky, planning, monitoring and strategy; and Okechukwu lbeanu, electoral operations and logistics committee.