Let Amina Zakari be

Ever since Amina Zakari was named by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a most vicious campaign to discredit her and make her seem unqualified in the eyes of the uninformed public has been unleashed against her and President Buhari who appointed her. The game plan of her […]

Ever since Amina Zakari was named by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a most vicious campaign to discredit her and make her seem unqualified in the eyes of the uninformed public has been unleashed against her and President Buhari who appointed her. The game plan of her traducers, it appears, is to be at it in such an unrelenting fashion that it would give her no rest to concentrate on the urgent task of continuing from where Jega left by trying to give Nigeria good elections. Their ultimate aim, it also appears, is for them to then turn around to accuse her of incompetence and to claim vindication for their vile campaign.
It could also be that their goal is to sufficiently frighten her to such an extent that she will feel so much heat that she will, on her own, graciously refuse confirmation for the tough job. The campaign is also aimed at blackmailing Buhari and forcing his hands to try somebody else.
This tactic is most unfortunate because it is most unfair. In spite of efforts by this writer and others who know this lady’s pedigree and her character to correct the wrong impression created about her, the attacks have not ceased. This means that the campaign against her is not motivated by concern for the public good which is why in all the vile propaganda ran against her so far no one has been able to question her integrity; to question her competence; to question her qualification for the job and to bring out information about her antecedents which points out that she has a negative history in her public service career.
Any perceptive observer will easily read where the possible sources of this woman’s pain are coming from. Without doubt, there are some elements in the opposition People’s Democratic Party who believe that they should try as much as possible to question the possible impartiality of Zakari by laying the foundation that she has either marriage or blood ties with some key members of the ruling APC which renders her unsuitable for the position of an electoral umpire. Use any argument, no matter how lame, to destroy her integrity. Of course if those bent on that vicious cause have any concrete evidence, they would not have hesitated to bring them out. But they have none which is why they keep hammering on that weak point which is in no way sufficient to disqualify her.
It is also evident that there are some elements within the INEC family that are resentful of Amina and who prefer that it should have been someone else from within who should have been favoured. Let all those who feel like that  be made aware of the fact that President Buhari has the prerogative to appoint anyone irrespective of age, region, sex or hierarchy in the existing INEC set up, or outside it, to succeed Jega. The position of INEC chairman is a political one and the president cannot be denied his right and power to choose from among the existing commissioners who, in his wisdom, he thinks is better qualified and more suitable to pilot the affairs of INEC.
And in the making of the choice of Amina I think the president is right because that organisation right now needs an insider who has closely under-studied Jega and can therefore smoothly continue from where Jega left and who also has integrity, competence and the level-headedness required to be an INEC chairman. You do not need to necessarily go for an outsider when an insider is well qualified for the job.
It must be noted that it was not Buhari that appointed Amina to the INEC Commissionership position in the first place. It was President Goodluck Jonathan who did. It cannot be that Jonathan chose to appoint somebody who he had cause to suspect has sympathy for the then opposition APC. She was among a set of people of integrity, impartiality and competence that were appointed along with the former INEC boss Attahiru Jega. And no evidence has been unearthed which suggests that Amina Zakari has suddenly become a sympathizer of the APC whose appointment will compromise INEC in subsequent political contests to come.
That she was nominated by the immediate past administration and cleared by a senate dominated by members of the then ruling PDP means of course that she has passed the integrity and impartiality test. And the qualification for an INEC commissioner as specified by our Constitution is the same as that of the chairman which means that Amina does not have any deficiency in being made chairman.
Let us be absolutely clear on this fact, there is nobody on planet earth who can be completely apolitical, having no interest or sympathy for a political party. What matters in the choice of an electoral referee is whether the prospective appointee has the will and the character not to become partisan. That is what matters and
Amina has such power and will to be absolutely impartial. Her critics should therefore let her be because their crusade against her is becoming extremely distractive.
In the next two months, Amina Zakari as Nigeria’s first female INEC chair will face a crucial test with the governorship elections coming up in Kogi and later Bayelsa.
Her critics should wait and see how INEC under her will perform. If she confirms their fear about her then they can have legitimate grounds to complain. But given the person some of us know, there will be no cause for anyone to say that on account of her occupation of INEC’s top job, partiality was shown to one party or person(s) against another or others. In all her working life, she has not left a question mark on her character or competence or conviction. And now with added maturity and experience and the knowledge that all critical eyes are on an INEC chairman to read his or her word, body language and other signs to see his or her inclination, Amina will not become reckless or irresponsible to become partisan.