PDP divided over Zakari’s appointment

Zakari

The appointment of Hajia Amina Zakari by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has polarised the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Ibrahim Jalo, has denied that the party ever took any position regarding her appointment, Sunday Punch reports.

PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, had said the call for her sacking was a position taken by the party at the 403 meeting of members of the National Working Committee but Jalo denied the existence of such.

According to Metuh, the PDP rejected Zakari on the strength of its belief that the INEC chairperson has a strong relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari and a very prominent All Progressive Congress North-West governor. The party also alleged that Zakari is collaborating with the ruling party to post Resident Electoral Commissioners of its choice to Kogi and Bayelsa states ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in those states.

Also on Saturday, Metuh, in a statement in Abuja, said President Buhari, in appointing Zakari, failed to take into cognisance the moral call to detach himself from the operation of the electoral body thereby completely eroding the independence of the commission, pointing out that the issue at stake was not that of Zakari’s competence or performance in office but that of “nepotism and her closeness to the President and some key APC leaders, which calls into question the independence of the electoral body under her.”

However, Jalo disagreed, challenging Metuh to produce the minutes of the meeting where such decision was taken.

Jalo, who spoke in an interview with Sunday Punch on Saturday, said while it was good to play the role of opposition, he said such role must be played with decorum, insisting that there was no need to create enmity for the opposition party in both the commission and northern Nigeria where Zakari hails from.

According to him, the PDP cannot object to the promotion of Zakari to the position of Acting Chairman of INEC since she was not appointed to the commission by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Zakari was appointed by a member of our party, former President Goodluck Jonathan into the commission and that time, we didn’t raise objection.

“Why now that she was elevated to lead the commission briefly when she is due to retire soon, that we are now talking about her alleged closeness to some people?

“We should be careful of what we say or do. We are begging people to come and join us, yet, by our actions we are creating more enemies