The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has rejected the appointment of Amina Zakari, as head of the Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee for the 2019 election.
The campaign organisation explained that it rejected the appointment because Zakari would use her position to favour President Muhammadu Buhari, who is her uncle.
The party was responding to Thursday inauguration of the National Collation Centre Committee and that of Electoral Logistics by the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
While saying that the development would pave the way for the self-succession of President Buhari if not reversed, the organisation expressed concern that the 2019 election may be catastrophic if Zakari superitends over the National Collation Centre Committee.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Kola Ologbondiyan, Director, Media & Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, emphasised that for the country to have to have a peaceful election, the INEC National Commissioner ‘should not be seen anywhere near any of the 2019 election processes, not to talk of being involved in the collation of Presidential results’.
Ologbondiyan alleged that Zakari was instrumental in the rigging of the 2018 governorship election in Osun State in favour of the APC.
He noted that as head of ICT Department of INEC, she was the brain behind the manipulation of INEC voter register, before her recent redeployment to Health and Welfare Committee after vehement protests from the party.
Ologbondiyan said: “The appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari, who had been openly accused in various quarters as being the link person between INEC and the Buhari Presidency in their schemes to rig the election for President Buhari, constitutes a direct violence against the Presidential election and the PDP will not, in any way, whatsoever, accept it.
“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.
“In appointing Mrs. Amina Zakari to head the collation of this Presidential election, Prof. Yakubu has confirmed that he has been compromised and that he has already succumbed to pressure by the Buhari Presidency and APC to open the way for the self-succession of President Buhari.
“The fact remains that there is no way Amina Zakari will not allocate votes to her blood relation, President Buhari, whom Nigerians have indicated clearly that they are not ready to return to office as President.
“With Amina 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 Amina 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.
“We also urge the United Nations and other global democratic institutions to take copious note of this noxious appointment by the INEC Chairman.
“If the INEC Chairman wants a peaceful Presidential election, he should, with the speed of light, reverse himself on this appointment”.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
