Presidency: Zakari,not Buhari’s blood relation

The Presidency yesterday dismissed as a lie, claim by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Hajiya Amina Zakari is a blood relation of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The commission on Thursday named Mrs. Zakari chairperson of its  2019 Elections Results Collation Committee, prompting criticism from the party.

The PDP rejected her appointment on the ground that she is a cousin of the president and would use   her position to rig the presidential election in favour of Buhari.

But responding to the PDP allegation, the Presidency labeled it baseless and said the party was clutching at straws.

The  Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, said, Buhari and Mrs Zakari “don’t share a family relationship.”

His words: “In another mendacious press release, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued their baseless accusations regarding Hajiya Amina Zakari, a commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (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.

“An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families, so the imputation of blood relationship between the President and the electoral commissioner is a simple lie.

“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.”