The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari as the Chairperson of INEC Collation Center Committee for the general elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, faulted the appointment while addressing reporters on Thursday in Abuja.
“The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) outrightly, vehemently and unequivocally rejects, in its entirety, the appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari, President (Muhammadu) Buhari’s blood relation, as the head of the collation of results,” he said.The press beefing held hours after the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, inaugurated two committees – Collation Centre and Electoral Logistics – chaired by Mrs Zakari and AVM Ahmed Mu’azu (rtd) respectively.Ologbondiyan, however, insisted that it was wrong for Zakari to head the committee in charge of collation of results in the same election in which the President was a candidate.“In appointing Mrs Amina Zakari to head the collation of this Presidential election, Professor 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,” he alleged.The PDP spokesperson said there was no way the votes cast by Nigerians would count if that should be the case.He, therefore, called on Nigerians and the National Peace Committee to intervene in the matter and ensure that Zakari’s appointment was reversed.Ologbodiyan accused the INEC boss of setting the stage for “a very huge political crisis”, stressing that such decision was capable of derailing the nation’s democratic process.He alleged further, “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.”The party’s spokesman noted that while they support a peaceful process, Zakari should not be seen anywhere near any of the election, let alone being involved in the collation of results.He said, “The PDP remains committed to a peaceful and credible process, but we will never, in any way, allow anybody to use any means, under any guise whatsoever, to rig us out in this election.”“All we ask for is a free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process in which the votes of Nigerians will not only count but will be seen to have counted.”
