* PDP kicks, rejects appointment, says it is an invitation to violence
* why not just appoint one of the President’s children as INEC Chairman?, Fayose reacts
*It’s a means of manipulating the outcome of 2019 election results, says Banji Okunomo
* The rigging has started and perfected. It is finished! Nigerians wail on tweeter
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Thursday, appointed Amina Zakari, President Muhammadu Buhari’s sister as head of National Collation Center Committee.
According to INEC, By her new appointment, Amina’s committee will be responsible for the collation and announcement of presidential election results from the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Her appointment has however generated public outcry by well meaning Nigerians including the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) .
In statement by Kola Ologbodiyan, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, the party described the appointment of Amina by INEC to head the committee that will announce the Presidential election results of 2019 as an invitation to violence.
“The appointment constitutes a direct violence against the presidential election and there is no way votes cast by Nigerians will count”, with her as head of the collation center.
“The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) outrightly, vehemently and unequivocally rejects, in its entirety, the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari, President Buhari’s blood relation, as the head of the collation of results, in the same election in which his uncle, President Buhari, as a candidate, has displayed a huge desperation to win.
“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.
“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.
“We, therefore, call on all Nigerians and particularly the National Peace Committee to note that with the appointment of Amina Zakari, as the head, 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.
“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 of the Nation. Ologbondiyan said for their to be a peaceful election, the INEC chairman should “with the speed of light, reverse himself on this appointment.”
“In fact, the PPCO reiterates its position that for us to have a peaceful election, Mrs. Amina Zakari should not be seen anywhere near any of the 2019 election processes, not to talk of being involved in the collation of Presidential results,” he added.
Nigerians had also taken to social media to criticise Amina’s appointment describing it as a ploy to rig the 2019 election.
Reacting to the announcement on Facebook, a former chairman of Ilaje Local Government in Ondo State, Hon. Banji Okunomo, has described the appointment of Amina Zakari as a means of manipulating the outcome of the forth coming 2019 presidential election to favour president Muhammadu Buhari which he said has already lost popularity.
Okunomo said: “In less than 4 years, APC governmemt has destroyed our hard-earned democratic value with unbridled impunity typical of a military Junta! The recent appointment of Amina Zakari, President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s blood relation, to collate and announce the outcome of the forth coming presidential election in 2019, is a confirmation that INEC has been compromised by the ruling APC to rig the 2019 presidential election in Nigeria to favour the incumbent who already lost his popularity as a result of ineptitude and poor performance,” the statememt added
On his tweeter page, former governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has also lambasted INEC for the appointment of Amina.
He tweeted: “Instead of INEC appointing, Amina Zakari, a blood relation (niece) of President Buhari, as the Chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential election Collation Center Committee, why not just appoint one of the President’s children as INEC Chairman?”
Another Nigerian wrote this on tweeter in reaction to INEC appointment of Amina.
Miz Cazorla said this: “Amina Zakari is buhari’s family member. The rigging has started already. They started with tradermoni (vote buying), then python dance and finally Amina Zakari as head of collation centre for elections. My people, the rigging has been perfected. It is finished.”
Charles Ingreen wrote this on tweeter : “If @inecnigeria have the mind to appoint Amina Zakari @MBuhari niece as the result collection officer, if it is good, it is then pertinent for @bukolasaraki to override Buhari on the electoral bill he has refused to sign into law. We must save Nigeria else our children will cry.”
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