Hajiya Amina Zakari, the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still in the news. Her historic appointment made her the first woman to take the helms of the Commission. The appointment is, however, steeped in much controversy.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on June 30 2015, sidestepped Ambassador Ahmed Wali, the National Commissioner nominated by the immediate past substantive National Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to appoint Zakari, another National Commissioner, as the “acting” National Chairman.
The appointment was denounced by many political stakeholders, especially the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which alleged cronyism and nepotism on the part of the president. The party argued that Zakari is a close relation of the president.
It is public knowledge that Zakari was a staff of the Petroleum (Special) Task Force, PTF when Buhari was its Executive Chairman. It is also true that when Governor Nasir El Rufai (who was also at the PTF) was the Minister of Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Abuja, Mrs. Zakari was made the Secretary of the Health and Social Welfare Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The PDP, which fears she could be biased as an electoral umpire, has gone as far as to assert that it would not accept elections superintended by her.
Zakari’s appointment as a National Commissioner lapsed on July 21, but she has continued to hold sway at the Commission.
The developments at the election management body are indeed disturbing especially after the recent successful strides of the Commission in steering the country through an unprecedented presidential transition from one ruling party to another.
We do not see the rationale behind Amina Zakari’s continued stay as the “acting” National Chairman of the INEC after the expiration of her tenure as a National Commissioner.
President Buhari’s capacity to nominate the National Chairman of INEC for confirmation by the Senate as provided for in sections 153 and 154 of the constitution is not in doubt. We do not, therefore understand or accept appointing an “acting” National Chairman outside the realm of the constitution.
We call on the president to remedy the situation by promptly proposing a substantive National Chairman of the Commission for public scrutiny, advice by the Council of State and approval by the Senate.
The National Assembly has a duty to step into this matter without further delay. We insist that the precedent of appointing an unbiased, credible and acceptable chief umpire to conduct elections set by the Goodluck Jonathan administration must be built upon. That was why Nigeria enjoyed a spate of credible elections in the past four years, and topped it with a peaceful transfer of power at the centre in the recent general elections.
Nothing less will suffice.
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