Fayose alleges government plans to remove Inec chairman and replace him with Buhari's niece Amina Zakari

FORMER Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose has alleged that the federal government is planning to replace Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu with President Muhammadu Buhari's niece Amina Zakari.

Yesterday morning at about 2.30am, Professor Yakubu announced that Inec was postponing presidential and National assembly elections which were due to take place yesterday to February 23. Gubernatorial and state houses of assembly polls due to take place on March 2 have now been moved to March 9 and both measures have led to fierce criticism of Professor Yakubu.

With many political commentators asking for Professor Yakubu to stand down, Governor Fayose has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) plans to use the debacle to appoint Ms Zakari as Inec chairman. Currently an Inec national commissioner in charge of coalition, Ms Zakari was once interim chairman but President Buhari was forced to appoint someone else to the post due to criticism nominating her generated.

Governor Fayose claims that the APC is now putting pressure on Professor Yakubu to allow it to field candidates in Zamfara State after a recent court ruling allowed the party to do so at the last minute. He added that if the Inec chairman refuses to allow the request, the APC intends to get him removed and replace him with Ms Zakari.

“It is now getting clearer that APC desperation to have candidates in Zamfara State is one of the main reasons for the postponement. Since Professor Mahmood has made it clear that the election coming up next Saturday is not a fresh process and there will be no campaign, bringing in candidates that were not part of the election that should have held today will also negate the position of Inec.

“Putting pressure on the Inec chairman and threatening him with sack just to force the commission to accept APC candidates for Zamfara State is evil and unacceptable. If there is anyone to be blamed for this dying minutes postponement, it should be the president and if anyone needs to resign, it should be President Buhari,” Governor Fayose added.

He said Nigerians should not forget the letter written to Inec by the attorney-general and Abubakar Malami, directing the commission to postpone elections in Zamfara State so as to allow the APC field candidates. According to the former governor, President Buhari’s should be blamed for deliberately orchestrating the postponement of the elections, adding that Inec does not control the Central Bank of Nigeria, the aviation agencies as well as the security apparatus in Nigeria.