How Presidency Allegedly Forced Amina Zakari On INEC – Fayose Reveals

The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose on Saturday alleged that Mrs. Amina Zakari was forced on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the Head of Presidential Election Collation Centre at a secret meeting, held at first lady’s chambers, Aso Villa in Abuja.

Fayose who is the the Southwest Coordinator of Atiku/Obi 2019 Presidential campaign committee made the revelation while speaking with journalists during an interview at the Atiku/Obi Southwest Campaign summit held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

He said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in Nigeria lacked confidence in the electoral umpire to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

Fayose while describing the appointment of Zakari as ‘moral burden’, said it was worrisome that the ruling party is forcing the cousin of the president on the electoral umpire to upturn the wish of Nigerians.

The former Governor said, “Now they realized they cannot trust the INEC chairman again, they now told him the only option left for us to believe you are with us, go and announce Aminat Zakari as the collation officer.

“The meeting took place at the first lady’s chambers in the Villa. Don’t ask me how I got to know about it, that is not your business. That was how the INEC chairman agreed to make sure he announced that lady’s name as head of collation centre. I will give you other revelations later. I won’t say everything today. So I am not surprised about what the Oyo state REC said that people are approaching them for purchase of PVCs.

“We have no confidence in INEC. This government of APC truly is an inconclusive government I have ever seen. You cannot see anything good in INEC overseeing by the current leadership of our country. What we saw in the last few days by the appointment of Aminat Zakari is a moral burden.”

While citing many inconclusive elections in recent time as example for the failure of INEC, Fayose said, “We started in Kogi state, to Ondo, Edo, Ekiti and Osun. I want you to recall that we started with inconclusiveness.

“That was the pattern, and when the outcry was becoming embarrassing to them and for them, they took another style in Edo.

“It came like that to other states in the west, on and on like that. On thing I want to say to you, is that it is now a moral burden for a party and a president that came out of a consensus for a man, who was in position to make it impossible at the time”.

South West Chairman of the party, Dr. Eddy Olafeso earlier in his remarks, said the summit was conveyed for the candidates of the party in the region to brainstorm on how to prevent the ruling party from carrying out their plans to rig the elections.

Olafeso while speaking accused the ruling APC of having no plan for campaign but rigging the elections.