The Nigerian Presidency has rejected claims that INEC Commissioner, Amina Zakari, is a “blood Niece” of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had alleged on Thursday, January 3, 2019, that Zakari, who was appointed Chairperson of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) Advisory Committee and Presidential election Collation Center Committee, is “a blood relation (niece) of the APC candidate, Buhari”. 

The PDP also maintained that by appointing a relative of Buhari into such a top position in the electoral commission, the governing APC had all but concluded plans with the electoral commission to rig the February 16, 2019 presidential vote.

It was an allegation that immediately heat up the polity and stirred intense partisan debate online.

However, in a statement signed by President Buhari’s spokesperson Garba Shehu, the presidency says “the PDP has continued their baseless accusations regarding Hajiya Amina Zakari, a commissioner in INEC, accusing her of partiality and casting doubts about her integrity as an electoral commissioner.

“In their desperation, they forget that it was the PDP government that appointed her in the first place and they keep lying, as they have been caught doing on so many issues, by imputing a blood relationship between her and President Muhammadu Buhari”.

According to the presidency, there are no blood ties between Zakari and President Buhari.

“President Buhari and Commissioner Amina Zakari do not share a family relationship. An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families, so the imputation of blood relationship between the president and the electoral commissioner is a lie”, the statement read.

The Buhari presidency also accused the PDP of harboring a hidden agenda.

“What is even more curious about all the fuss coming from the PDP is that they, as a ruling party picked Mrs Zakari, judging her by her own merit and made her an electoral commissioner.

“She served so well with distinction as can be verified from the records, that President Buhari approved the recommendation that she be reappointed, as he did other PDP nominees for second-term of four years.

“PDP, therefore, has no moral right to keep harassing this hardworking mother unless they have a hidden agenda.

“By this statement, the PDP is guilty of scoring an own goal and two, of harassing an innocent citizen on the basis of a lie, pure and simple”.

President Buhari of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP are the front-line candidates ahead of the presidential contest. 

Over 70 other candidates, including Oby Ezekwesili of the ACPN, Kingsley Moghalu of the YPP, Fela Durotoye of the ANN and Omoyele Sowore of the AAC are also making their presence strongly felt on the campaign trail ahead of a critical vote for Africa's most populous nation.