The Nigerian Political Process, Manipulations and Lies
January 7 2019 By Abiodun Giwa
Nigeria's Amina Zakari - whose appointment by INEC as chairman of committee for election results collation is roiling the country.
Opposition parties in Nigeria are protesting INEC's appointment of Amina Zakari - President Muhammad Buhari's relative - as chairman of committee for national Collation Center for the February 2019 elections.
They parties are also protesting inspector general of police's service going beyond his retirement date of January 3, 2019.
But the ruling All Progressive Party, APC, Zakari and INEC are standing by Zakari's appointment, with INEC's explanation of Zakari's expected role and Zakari's denial of relationship with the president, making observers think that Zakari's likely role remains highly questionable, and the INEC chairman's effort at manipulation.
Many observers of the inspector general and his yummy-yummy attitude with President Buhari believe that the inspector general is a friend of the president and not a friend of ordinary Nigerians, and that he would compromise the police to favor the ruling party in the forth-coming elections. Just last week, the inspector general of police was reported and photographed in a handshake with the president during a visit to the president's office.
Therefore, the issue of Zakari's questionable appointment by INEC and its roiling of the country's polity has hardly been resolved before the issue of the inspector general of police's service beyond his retirement time and the suspicion that he could be an instrument for the ruling party joins the opposition parties displeasure against the president and the ruling party.
The Premium Times published a detailed report about Zakari's relationship with the president. Though the newspaper said there was no biological relationship between the two, but the story line shows that the connection between Zakari and the president goes beyond the issue of a biological relationship in term of appreciation and benefits. The report shows that the president's elder sister married Zakari's father, and she raised Zakari and his brother, and the siblings have been close to the president and have benefited from him. Zakari's brother is currently a serving federal minister in Buhari's administration.
In the same news report, the INEC chairman says,"The remit of Mrs. Zakari’s committee is to handle facilities such as power, access to the internet, live transmission for national and international media, as well as accreditation for access to the ICC and security of the venue."
The Premium Time reports, "However, Mrs. Zakari was no biological daughter of Mr. Buhari’s elder sister, but a stepdaughter. The elder Buhari raised Mrs. Zakari as well as his younger brother, the water resources minister, which then facilitated a deep, blood tie-like relationship between the two Kazaure royals and Mr. Buhari. The applicable relationship between the duo, however, as available evidence show, is that of a step-niece and a step-uncle. Both individuals are deeply close, having a relationship spanning several decades; in fact, all their lives!
But in a separate report by Vanguard newspapers, Zakari denies having relationship with the president. “I am not his niece, I am not his cousin. I was appointed on this same particular job by Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. Prior to that I was appointed an A.S to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, and I did my job perfectly”. Has Zakari not denied relationship with Buhari or not?
Curious observers who know Nigeria and the country's political culture believe that with the current INEC's chairman and the appointment of Zakari and the continued service of the inspector general of police, the Nigeria;s February election has run into a murky water of uncertainty, and the justification for opposition parties request for the removal of Zakari and the inspector general of police.
But what about the INEC's chairman himself, who had supervised the questionable victories of the ruling party in governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, and who said that the duty of Zakari's committee for national collation center is to handle facilities such as power, access to the internet, live transmission for national and international media, as well as accreditation for access tom the ICC and security of the venue?
They parties are also protesting inspector general of police's service going beyond his retirement date of January 3, 2019.
But the ruling All Progressive Party, APC, Zakari and INEC are standing by Zakari's appointment, with INEC's explanation of Zakari's expected role and Zakari's denial of relationship with the president, making observers think that Zakari's likely role remains highly questionable, and the INEC chairman's effort at manipulation.
Many observers of the inspector general and his yummy-yummy attitude with President Buhari believe that the inspector general is a friend of the president and not a friend of ordinary Nigerians, and that he would compromise the police to favor the ruling party in the forth-coming elections. Just last week, the inspector general of police was reported and photographed in a handshake with the president during a visit to the president's office.
Therefore, the issue of Zakari's questionable appointment by INEC and its roiling of the country's polity has hardly been resolved before the issue of the inspector general of police's service beyond his retirement time and the suspicion that he could be an instrument for the ruling party joins the opposition parties displeasure against the president and the ruling party.
The Premium Times published a detailed report about Zakari's relationship with the president. Though the newspaper said there was no biological relationship between the two, but the story line shows that the connection between Zakari and the president goes beyond the issue of a biological relationship in term of appreciation and benefits. The report shows that the president's elder sister married Zakari's father, and she raised Zakari and his brother, and the siblings have been close to the president and have benefited from him. Zakari's brother is currently a serving federal minister in Buhari's administration.
In the same news report, the INEC chairman says,"The remit of Mrs. Zakari’s committee is to handle facilities such as power, access to the internet, live transmission for national and international media, as well as accreditation for access to the ICC and security of the venue."
The Premium Time reports, "However, Mrs. Zakari was no biological daughter of Mr. Buhari’s elder sister, but a stepdaughter. The elder Buhari raised Mrs. Zakari as well as his younger brother, the water resources minister, which then facilitated a deep, blood tie-like relationship between the two Kazaure royals and Mr. Buhari. The applicable relationship between the duo, however, as available evidence show, is that of a step-niece and a step-uncle. Both individuals are deeply close, having a relationship spanning several decades; in fact, all their lives!
But in a separate report by Vanguard newspapers, Zakari denies having relationship with the president. “I am not his niece, I am not his cousin. I was appointed on this same particular job by Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. Prior to that I was appointed an A.S to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, and I did my job perfectly”. Has Zakari not denied relationship with Buhari or not?
Curious observers who know Nigeria and the country's political culture believe that with the current INEC's chairman and the appointment of Zakari and the continued service of the inspector general of police, the Nigeria;s February election has run into a murky water of uncertainty, and the justification for opposition parties request for the removal of Zakari and the inspector general of police.
But what about the INEC's chairman himself, who had supervised the questionable victories of the ruling party in governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, and who said that the duty of Zakari's committee for national collation center is to handle facilities such as power, access to the internet, live transmission for national and international media, as well as accreditation for access tom the ICC and security of the venue?
