INEC and Buhari’s appointments

IT has been repeated in recent times that the problem with President Muhammadu Buhari appointing his supposed sister or sister-in-law, Mrs. Amina Zakari, to head the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has nothing to do with her qualifications but rather the moral burden of having his sister or sister in-law presiding over elections in which himself or his party would be participating against other parties.

Whereas it was not a problem for President Jonathan to appoint her to conduct elections – allegedly as a nominee of Malam El Rufai – with whom Mrs. Zakari had worked as a subordinate at the Federal Capital Territory.

The recommendation by El Rufai is said to have occurred after he returned from self-exile and joined in the support for President Jonathan during the Yar’Adua impasse. However, President Jonathan would have had a similar problem if he had appointed a brother, in-law, sister, friends, party men or kin from the South-South Zone, because Nigerians would have reacted with similar rejection.

At any rate, Mrs. Amina Zakari tried unsuccessfully and unconvincingly to mitigate this concern, with a weak denial of her family relation with the President which has since been clearly defined by Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, a story that has remained unchallenged, even by the President himself.

Alhaji Yakassai informed Nigerians that Mrs. Zakari’s father, the late Emir of Kazaure, married President Buhari’s elder sister, and that President Buhari started his childhood in the late Emir’s house.

He further revealed that, the mother of Amina Zakari was either the first or second wife of the Emir. Also, he informed that Buhari stayed with the Emir for some time in Kazaure declaring that he knew all these because the late Emir, was his friend of many years, having worked with him as his Permanent Secretary before becoming an Emir.