The appointment of Hajia Amina Zakari by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has polarised the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Ibrahim Jalo, has denied that the party ever took any position regarding her appointment, Sunday Punch reports.

PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, had said the call for her sacking was a position taken by the party at the 403 meeting of members of the National Working Committee but Jalo denied the existence of such.

According to Metuh, the PDP rejected Zakari on the strength of its belief that the INEC chairperson has a strong relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari and a very prominent All Progressive Congress North-West governor. The party also alleged that Zakari is collaborating with the ruling party to post Resident Electoral Commissioners of its choice to Kogi and Bayelsa states ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in those states.

Also on Saturday, Metuh, in a statement in Abuja, said President Buhari, in appointing Zakari, failed to take into cognisance the moral call to detach himself from the operation of the electoral body thereby completely eroding the independence of the commission, pointing out that the issue at stake was not that of Zakari’s competence or performance in office but that of “nepotism and her closeness to the President and some key APC leaders, which calls into question the independence of the electoral body under her.”

However, Jalo disagreed, challenging Metuh to produce the minutes of the meeting where such decision was taken.

Jalo, who spoke in an interview with Sunday Punch on Saturday, said while it was good to play the role of opposition, he said such role must be played with decorum, insisting that there was no need to create enmity for the opposition party in both the commission and northern Nigeria where Zakari hails from.

According to him, the PDP cannot object to the promotion of Zakari to the position of Acting Chairman of INEC since she was not appointed to the commission by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Zakari was appointed by a member of our party, former President Goodluck Jonathan into the commission and that time, we didn’t raise objection.

“Why now that she was elevated to lead the commission briefly when she is due to retire soon, that we are now talking about her alleged closeness to some people?

“We should be careful of what we say or do. We are begging people to come and join us, yet, by our actions we are creating more enemies.”


http://dailypost.ng/2015/07/05/pdp-divided-over-zakaris-appointment/

Of what relevance is it to the public

Buhari.Jalo, who spoke in an interview with Sunday Punch on Saturday, said while it was good to play the role of opposition, he said such role must be played with decorum, insisting that there was no need to create enmity for the opposition party in both the commission and northern Nigeria where Zakari hails from.

According to him, the PDP cannot object to the promotion of Za
kari to the position of Acting Chairman of INEC since she was not appointed to the commission by President Muhammadu

See wisdom abeg.

Olisa Metuh speaks for PDP not Jalo, he's on his own here.

sleekp1:
Olisa Metuh speaks for PDP not Jalo, he's on his own here.

yea but be frank with yaself. Who is more reasonable here? Metuh or jalo?

midolian:
yea but be frank with yaself. Who is more reasonable here? Metuh or jalo?

Metuh is more reasonable, Jalo was only being sentimental because the appointee is of Hausa stock. Check out Zakari's profile and you'd come to same conclusion as Metuh.

sleekp1:


Metuh is more reasonable, Jalo was only being sentimental because the appointee is of Hausa stock. Check out Zakari's profile and you'd come to same conclusion as Metuh.

whatever is there in the profile should remain there. Zakari wasnt given appointment in INEC by Baba so why the noise from metuh and his side of the PDP? I strogly agree with Jalo on this. I wld only see sense in metuh's points if Zakari was called from home to serve. Baba feels she is the one he can trust with the job and that's y we hav her there.

Lemme also remind you that handing over to another Commissioner does not mean an "appointment" because only the President has the constitutional authority, which he exercised to appoint Mrs Zakari as acting Chairman of INEC. Metuh jst made a ridicule of himself as far as I am concerned

I just remembered prof Maurice Iwu and PDP. Then there was no fuss.... Now baton don change hands, so PDP why the ballyhoo?

Hmm! Nigerian politics and drama.

PDP wants to get back to office through the backdoor, haven't you heard them boasting that PDP will come back again in 2019? Their belief is that with the right compromised people in the right places, they will snatch power back again at the expense of the wish of Nigerians. "Them go hear am", lol. Nonsense party!

socialmediaman:
PDP wants to get back to office through the backdoor, haven't you heard them boasting that PDP will come back again in 2019? Their belief is that with the right(compromised) people in the right places, they will snatch power back again at the expense of the wish of Nigerians. "Them go hear am", lol. Nonsense party!

For them to even think Nigerians will give them a 2nd chance really amazes me. Wouldn't it be better we try KOWA party than the PDP?

Fooooooool! Boko Haram is bombing everywhere. The economy is downsliding, no appointments anywhere yet and you are chasing PDP and still blaming them for Buhari's cluelessness.

midolian:
For them to even think Nigerians will give them a 2nd chance really amazes me. Wouldn't it be better we try KOWA party than the PDP?

I think I will go with jalo on this issue.

Gej appointed her.

Buhari elevated her.

So why the noise ?

Jalou is one of the Northern moles in PDP who couldn't win a single pooling booth and has the temerity to open his dirty mouth.
There are a lot of pro-buhari elements in PDP who are part of the party's downfall. PDP chairman must come from the south east

lurther:
Fooooooool! Boko HaramPDP is bombing everywhere. The economy is downsliding, no appointments anywhere yet and you are chasing PDP and still blaming them for Buhari's cluelessness.

na wa o! Na hin make u dey insult me? Are u dat pained?