The appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as the Head of Presidential Election Collation Committee by the Independent National Electoral Commission, has generated a heated controversy that stems from her relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Coalition of United Political Parties has said Amina is a niece to the president, hence, it will be unfair to be a referee in her relative’s match.
The presidency and the INEC chairman have debunked the claim of blood relationship between Buhari and Zakari.
To further clear the air, the person in the eye of the storm, Mrs. Zakari, has also denied any blood relation with President Buhari.
In an interview with the BBC, Zakari said she had also served as a special adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
She further stated that she was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as an INEC commissioner and that she had done her job diligently in the last eight years.
Zakari added, “I’m not his niece, I am not his cousin; and, on this job, I was appointed since 2010 by President Jonathan and prior to that, I was appointed as SA to President Obasanjo and I have done my work conscientiously over the years as a patriotic citizen of Nigeria.
“I don’t think I should be distracted now that elections are coming. I will continue doing my work, I will continue to serve my country to the best of my ability, with the best of intentions.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is my president as everybody else’s president.
“He is not my cousin, he is not my uncle as is being claimed; but I know him as my leader and the leader of the nation.”
