The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday, unveiled a 12-member Committee on Collation Centre for the presidential elections with one of its National Commissioners, Amina Bala Zakari, as chairman.
According to the INEC chairman, the Committee “shall be responsible for the national collation centre from where the result of the Presidential election will be announced.”
Tribune Online findings revealed that Amina Zakari is the National Commissioner in charge of Electoral Operations and Logistics. Further checks revealed that she was redeployed last October from her former position as Commissioner, Electoral Operations. She was equally in charge of Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department.
In July 2015, Amina Zakari was appointed the acting national chairman of INEC by President Muhammadu Buhari, following the expiration of the tenure of Professor Attahiru Jega as chairman.
Before the emergence of Professor Yakubu, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) squealed consistently against her appointment as the party insisted that a niece to the incumbent president would not be impartial in the discharge of her functions.
Addressing the gathering of the Electoral Logistics and Collation Centre committees members before their inauguration, the INEC chairman said the International Conference Centre, (ICC) would be used as the Secretariat for collation of results like the Commission did in 2015.
He also disclosed that his Commission would be meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) to seek the latter understanding on its lingering strike.
He said:” The second ad hoc committee, which is entirely internal to the Commission, shall be responsible for the national collation centre from where the results of the Presidential election will be announced. As was the case in 2015, the Commission will use the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja.
“Already, the management of the ICC has approved the Commission’s request to once again use the venue in 2019. It will serve as the secretariat for collation of results and venue for the briefing of international observers and the media.
“It will also be accessible to agents of the seventy-three (73) political parties fielding candidates in the presidential election. Facilities such as power, access to the intemet, live transmission for national and international media as well as accreditation for access to the ICC and security of the venue shall be handled by the Committee.
“I wish to reassure Nigerians that we are on course to deliver credible elections in 2019. Let me also seize this opportunity to confirm that the Commission will meet with the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) tomorrow Friday 4th January 2019 at 4:00 pm.
“The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the ongoing strike by the Union but only in relation to our preparations for the General Elections. We are concerned that the bulk of critical election duty staff are drawn from the universities. We are determined to ensure that processes are not affected by the Union’s industrial action. ASUU is a critical partner to the Commission in delivering credible elections. We look forward to the meeting and we are confident of a positive outcome.
“The Commission has similarly contacted another critical partner, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). We are already in partnership with one of its affiliate unions, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), with which we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the movement of personnel and materials on election day. The Commission plans to meet with the NLC next Week.”
If true, she could be one if the angels inhabiting the earth with the archangel
Nice one
Good
Buhari is the worst president
Nigeria ever had.
Buhari is now be booed
anywhere he goes.??
Just imagine how this desperate woman is desecrating womanhood. Of all the dreaded criminals we have in this country she is the only one deemed qualified to do the dirty job and she is happy to take it. Waiting for someone to come and tell me women are less corrupt than men
HAHAHAH!!! game over buhari is the winner
Mrs. Zakari and PDP’s Misinformation
Ajayi Temitope
Where did PDP get the idea of National Collation Officer they’re rejecting? Sadly, the media created this nonsense by wrong reportage of the Committee the INEC woman Mrs. Zakari heads. It is a tragedy that the public can no longer rely on media reports without double checking accuracy these days.
The award for issuing most senseless press statements should go to PDP’s Kola Ologbodiyan who has elevated such to an art form.
Mrs. Zakari, the supposed Buhari relation was appointed into INEC as a Commissioner by President Jonathan under a PDP government. How come she can no longer perform any function in INEC because she is related to Buhari?
INEC chairman announced today that the woman heads a committee whose brief must be to provide the logistics and administrative support, as a secretariat not as a collation officer. Her job is strictly welfare and support services as the Commissioner in Charge of Health and Welfare. INEC does not have a Collation Officer at the national level. The INEC Chair serves as Chief Returning Officer. So, what is this all about?
Running to the press with false information can’t help PDP and Atiku to win this election.
Dr. Okolo Oteri: “I am amused by people who think in this manner. Should she resign just because she is related to the president? Would you think it fair to be stagnant at your job just because…….
Many who mouth strong institutions simply do not know what it means. Many do not know how government or its agencies work. Many just need to grow up!”
If she is related to the president, then its wrong, no matter how you want to paint it. She can provide logistics and administrative support for local or Governorship elections. If Jonathan appointed his niece in the same position I can only imagine what you or the APC would be saying. Fair is Fair
Dis s hate speech ..how can inec name her as d chairman of presidential election collation committee
APC NOW RUNNING NIGERIA AS THEIR FAMILY BUSINESS.
Which election are you going to participate? The one Amina, Buhari’s niece will announce result? You’re totally demented!
Who is fooling who, while can we be sincere in this country. Well, this attitude was the reason while a Governor want to make his son in-law his successor and other family members all in government house. God is watching and we cannot be smarter than God. Let us learn to do the right things.
PDP appointed her as INEC Commissioner. So why this wailing?