The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Buhari to sack the newly appointed head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre, Amina Zakari.
The opposition condemned Zakari’s appointment, alleging that it is part of a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the upcoming election.
According to Vanguard, the PDP, in a statement, said “if indeed, President Buhari is a man of integrity and is not pushing an ulterior motive with Amina Zakari, why is he insisting that she must be in INEC and that she must be at the collation of Presidential result?
“Furthermore, if President Buhari believes he is popular among Nigerians and can win in a free and fair contest, why is he fixated at manipulating the electoral process, instead of allowing INEC to have a free hand to conduct this election?”
Amina Zakari cannot be trusted
The PDP also said that Zakari cannot be trusted based on Buhari’s ‘admittance of an inter-marriage relationship with her’.
Recently, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said that "President Buhari and Commissioner Amina Zakari do not share a family relationship. An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families."
The party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan also called on the President to speak more on his relationship with Zakari.
The PDP’s statement reads: “It is now clear that in addition to the relationship by affinity, President Buhari also has a consanguinity relationship with Amina Zakari and has not denied that he started his early childhood in Amina Zakari’s father’s house.
“President Buhari’s admittance has effectively established that the PDP has not been crying wolf on the impropriety of involving Mrs. Amina Zakari in the collation of Presidential election results, let alone being appointed to head the final determination of the Presidential election.
“It is totally unethical and immoral for an umpire to insist on officiating a contest even when her impartiality is called to question. Even in the judiciary, judges recuse themselves in cases involving parties they have affinity with. Mrs. Amina Zakari must therefore, recuse herself, if the 2019 presidential election must be credible.”
Also, the former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose has called on the INEC commissioner to step aside and not play any role during the 2019 elections.