Zakari's appointment constitutes direct violence against presidential election - PDP

Posted by Admin | 5 years ago | 1,960 times



The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Thursday instigated what a political observer described as ‘’harsh and rash conversations’’ about doubts over its neutrality in the forthcoming general elections with the appointment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s niece, Mrs. Amina Zakari, as the chairperson of the Presidential Election Collation Committee.

The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and some other stakeholders immediately described Zakari’s appointment as an outright manipulation, challenging the president to excuse his niece if he is actually committed to free, fair and credible elections.

The Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, while addressing a press conference Thursday in Abuja, said that the appointment of Zakari, who had been openly accused in various quarters as being the link person between INEC and the presidency, constitutes a direct violence against the presidential election, insisting that the PDP would not, in any way, whatsoever, accept it.

He said, “You will recall that we have been raising the flag on how the Buhari-led presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some individuals at the echelon of INEC have been seeking ways to compromise our electoral processes and open the way for the allocation of fictitious votes to President Muhammadu Buhari, having realized that he cannot win in a credible, free and fair poll.

“The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation out-rightly, vehemently and unequivocally reject, 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.”

In appointing Zakari to head the presidential election collation centre, Ologbondiyan said 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.

He emphasised that there is no way Zakari would not allocate votes to her blood relation, Buhari, whom Nigerians have indicated clearly that they are not ready to return to office as president.

Ologbondiyan said, “This is the same Amina Zakari, who headed the 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. With Zakari at the head of results collation, there is no way votes cast by Nigerians will count.

“We, therefore, call on all Nigerians and particularly the National Peace Committee to note that with the appointment of Zakari, as head the collation of presidential results, the INEC chairman is setting the stage for a very huge political crisis, which is capable of derailing our democratic process.”

The party also urged the United Nations and other global democratic institutions to take copious note of this noxious appointment by the INEC chairman, adding that if he wants a peaceful presidential election, he should, with the speed of light, reverse himself on this appointment.

“In fact, the PPCO reiterates its position that for us to have a peaceful election, Mrs. Zakari should not be seen anywhere near any of the 2019 election processes, not to talk of being involved in the collation of presidential results”, he added.

Also reacting, one of the spokespersons of the party’s presidential campaign council, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, said Zakari’s appointment would go to confirm that the 2019 election is programmed for rigging.

He said, “I wouldn’t believe this; but if it turns out to be true, it will go to confirm our fears that the 2019 election is programmed for rigging. We have raised series of concerns over the unholy strategic roles that Amina Zakari had played in previous election and why we had accused INEC of working from answer to question.

‘’This new position if confirmed to be true, is a further confirmation of the subterranean plots being masterminded by INEC to ensure that votes figures are manipulated in favour of President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), reason why the APC has not been campaigning.”

 

 


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