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Prof Mahmood Yakubu |
A political and social pressure group in Akwa Ibom, the Justice and
Development Initiative has called for the resignation of the chairman of
the Independent National Electoral Commission Prof Mahmood Yakubu and
the newly appointed national collation officer for the Presidential election, Mrs Amina Zakari.
It has also expressed worry that the personal relationship of a
brother of Mrs Zakari to Senator Godswill Akpabio could also influence
the electoral process and result collation for the polls in Akwa Ibom.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday and
endorsed by its President and Secretary, Tom Chris Morgan and Henry
Bassey respectively, the group maintained that the INEC chairman by the
appointment of Mrs Zakari has demonstrated lack of capacity to manage
and withstand pressures from vested interests in the election.
It also said that Zakari’s denial of having a relationship with the
President against all proofs made her unfit to occupy such a position of
trust even as her husband’s candidature of the APC in the Bauchi South
Senatorial race would expose her.
“Appointing a relative of the President and a candidate in the
presidential election into such a sensitive electoral position amounts
to an apparent Conflict-of-Interest situation while the INEC chairman
appears to have bowed to pressure from the Presidency and the APC in their desperate bid
to ensure that the election result is manipulated in their favour.
“Amina’s denial of any relationship with President Buhari also puts a
huge question mark on her honesty, probity, and trustworthiness. A
person who can lie this casually about something as basic and as
verifiable as her relationships is disreputable and unworthy of the
responsibility she’s been entrusted with at INEC.
“So what is the truth? In a December 27, 2018 article, Mohammed
Haruna, former Daily Trust columnist and current INEC commissioner said
President Muhammadu Buhari’s biological sister was once married to Mrs.
Amina Zakari’s father. That makes Amina, Buhari’s niece. This is the
definition of a niece in the Oxford English Dictionary: “A daughter of
one’s brother or sister, or of one’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law.”
Amina’s father was Buhari’s brother-in-law and that makes her his niece.
“Mrs. Amina Zakari is not only a blood relative of the incumbent
President, Muhammadu Buhari but also married to the Senatorial candidate
for Bauchi South. Therefore by consanguinity and affinity, her hands
are tied.
It expressed reservations over the intentions of the President on the
election pointing out to earlier allegations made by another
Presidential candidate Mrs Oby Ezekwesili and the Peoples Democratic
Party.
“Recall that Oby Ezekwesili, the ACPN presidential candidate and a
woman known for her intolerance to unfairness had in condemning the
appointment said “It suggests a brazen attempt to ease rigging for the
APC’s candidate in the elections. Zakari can be assigned another task
far away from tasks that can hinder our electoral integrity. The INEC
chairman has obviously bowed to President Buhari’s visible and
increasingly brazen determination to not just rig but to steal the 2019
presidential election and throw the country into crisis.
“Nigerians want a new direction and the President must avoid actions
that suggest he wishes to suppress the aspirations of the people in the
2019 elections. Any action of the President that aims at giving him an
advantage in the February elections amounts to political corruption and
abuse of power since he is using his political power for personal gain
as a candidate. INEC must not only be fair but must be seen to be fair
to all Including registered political parties and especially to
Nigerians who are the stakeholders of the Nigerian project.” It said.
“As a body committed to peace, justice and development we, therefore,
call on INEC to reverse the appointment of Zakari as chairperson in the
interest of justice, equity and fairness in order to ensure peace and
give all the candidates a level playing ground. We call on Mrs Zakari to
resign her appointment given the fact that she repeatedly failed the
impartiality test, especially on her dispositions in the immediate past
governorship elections in the South-West where she was in charge of
electoral operations and logistics.
“We call on the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu to resign his
appointment because his appointment of a relative of the President into
a such a sensitive position has revealed his bias and lack capacity to
withstand influence and intimidation from vested interests in the 2019
election. We also call on the international community to join the
Nigerian people and prevail on President Buhari to practice the Peace
Accord, with exemplary actions, in order to build confidence in the
process he is leading.”
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