Presidency to PDP: Buhari, Amina Zakari don’t share family relationship

The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari and Hajiya Amina Zakari, a commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) do not share a family relationship as being speculated by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said in a statement in Abuja on Friday that the imputation of blood relationship between the President and the electoral commissioner was `a simple lie’.

The statement read: “In another mendacious press release, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued their baseless accusations regarding Hajiya Amina Zakari, a commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing her of partiality and casting doubts about her integrity as an electoral commissioner.

“In their desperation, they forget that it was the PDP government that appointed her in the first place and they keep lying, as they have been caught doing on so many issues, by imputing a blood relationship between her and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“President Buhari and Commissioner Amina Zakari don’t share a family relationship. An inter-marriage occurred in their extended families, so the imputation of blood relationship between the President and the electoral commissioner is a simple lie.

“What is even more curious about all the fuss coming from the PDP is that they, as a ruling party picked Mrs Zakari, judging her by her own merit and made her an electoral commissioner.

“She served so well with distinction as can be verified from the records that President Buhari approved the recommendation that she be reappointed, as he did other PDP nominees for second-term of four years.’’

The presidential media aide, therefore, maintained that the PDP had no moral right to “keep harassing this hardworking mother unless they have a hidden agenda.

“By this statement, the PDP is guilty of scoring an own goal and two, of harassing an innocent citizen on the basis of a lie, pure and simple’’.