13 political parties hail Zakari’s appointment as Acting INEC chairman, warn PDP

Zakari

13 registered political parties under the aegis of Coalition of Progressive Political Parties, have hailed the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as the acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

It strongly frowned at what it called “the dangerous, irresponsible and inciting statement issued by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on the appointment of Zakari.”

Chief Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP had faulted the appointment of Zakari on the ground that she was too close to President Buhari.

Reacting to Metuh’s claim in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday and signed by the Chairman of the Coalition and National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement, Mallam Bashir Ibrahim, they decried “the dangerous precedent, whereby a political party is trying to decide for the country who becomes the INEC chairman.”

The function which, it said, is constitutionally reserved for the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Assembly.

The coalition warned that, “any interference by political parties in the appointment of INEC officials is tantamount to politicising the process and the commission itself, which is capable of creating dangerous schism in the commission and generating unnecessary tension in the country.”

The statement added, “INEC is an independent election management body which must be insulated from politics and irresponsible politicking.“The power of and procedure for the appointment of the chairman of INEC is a constitutional matter and not subject of bargaining by political parties, especially those who are yet to come to terms with the fact that Nigeria is on a very strong change trajectory. INEC is also a regulator of political parties.

“It is an anomaly for the parties which the commission is supposed to regulate to dictate who becomes the commission’s chairman. Obviously, for some parties, it is still midnight.”