Women and political groups rise in solidarity to the appointment of Amina Bala Zakari as Acting National Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite strong opposition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Assistant Editor (North), CHUKS EHIRIM, reports.
The appointment of Amina Bala Zakari as the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Muhammadu Buhari, two weeks ago, has continued to generate reactions from interest groups.
Among the latest in the groups that have commended Buhari for making the appointment is Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), an organisation that had criticised him when he constituted his Transition Committee, earlier. The group had then accused the president of not adequately carrying women along in his policy initiatives.
But in its new outing, WIPF, in conjunction with other non-governmental organisations, had lauded Buhari for the gesture on Zakari.
At a forum in Abuja, WIPF president, Mrs. Ebere Ifendu, faulted individuals and groups criticising Zakari’s appointment.
Mrs. Ebere who doubles as the National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party (LP), particularly took swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for opposing the appointment.
She said; “Our attention has been drawn to the persistent criticism of the appointment of the acting chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The position of the Women in Politics Forum is that this appointment is in line with the national gender policy and procedure for appointment in INEC. The time has come for Nigeria to recognise that appointment of women in executive and other positions is not a favour as has been mooted in some quarters.”
Zakari’s appointment, she said, was the first into a critical governance post by Buhari, adding that it was in the true spirit of his campaign promise to women. According to her, the inclusion of women in election administration will augment efforts to increase their voices and participation in the electoral process, adding that the group recommended the submission of Zakari’s name to the Senate for confirmation.
Women groups on parade
Aside WIPF, other women groups that bought into the idea included Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI), Women Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA), 100 Women Lobby Group, Equity Advocates, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Women Foundation of Nigeria (WFN) and Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF).
Political parties join the fray
Apart from the women group, the Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COP3), an umbrella organisation for 13 registered political parties in the country, also rose in support of Zakari, condemning what it called “the dangerous, irresponsible and inciting statement issued by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on the appointment of Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission”.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday and signed by the Chairman of the Coalition and National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Movement, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, COP3 decried “the dangerous precedent whereby a political party is trying to decide for the country who becomes the INEC Chairman”, a function which, it said, is constitutionally reserved for the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Assembly.
In a reference to the statement made in Abuja by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, rejecting the appointment of Zakari, the Coalition warned that “any interference by political parties in the appointment of INEC officials is tantamount to politicising the process and the Commission itself, which is capable of creating dangerous schism in the Commission and generating unnecessary tension in the country.”
Presidency weighs in
The presidency also described the claim that the PDP had rejected Mrs. Zakari’s appointment as laughable. It said that PDP contradicted itself by admitting that the right and power of the president to appoint INEC chairman could not be questioned, only to turn around to reject it.
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who made the remark, said: “We have noted with regret, the latest tirade against President Muhammadu Buhari by the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh.”
He faulted Metuh on his party’s allegation of nepotism and partisanship against the president in the appointment of the acting INEC chairman, saying that the insinuation lacked factual foundation.
Adesina argued that contrary to Metuh’s allegations, Zakari’s appointment was based entirely on merit, her vast experience in the internal operations of INEC and the president’s commitment to affirmative action in support of gender equality, adding that apart from being fully qualified for the position, she was the only woman among the six commissioners considered.
PDP cries out
PDP had alleged that Buhari appointed Zakari as the new acting INEC chairman as a grand design to make APC win the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. The two states are currently controlled by PDP.
Metuh said the party was privy to the fact that “Mrs. Zakari who has a strong relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari and a very prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) North West governor, is collaborating with the ruling party to post Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of her choice to Kogi and Bayelsa ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in those states.”
The party further claimed that there were moves to use the period of Zakari’s tenure as head of the commission to tinker with electoral personnel and materials for the two states in favour of the APC.
The party said the issue at stake is not that of Zakari’s competence or performance in office, but the fact of nepotism and her closeness to the president and some key APC leaders, which calls to question the independence of the electoral body under her.
“We want Nigerians to know that with this appointment, INEC has been stripped of its independence and can no longer command the confidence and respect of the citizens and all other critical stakeholders in the nation’s electoral process,” Metuh stressed.
Insisting that Zakari must be removed, the PDP said that having in the last 16 years reformed the nation’s electoral system to an enviable status that is being commended by the international community, it cannot sit back and watch its gradual destruction by partisan interest.
The party, therefore, urged Nigerians “to rise above sectional, religious, gender and partisan biases and put the independence of INEC, the credibility of the electoral process, and the overall interest of the nation above every other consideration in their comments and views on the appointment.
