The presidency has chided the Peoples Democratic Party over another lie regarding the status of Hajiya Amina Zakari, a national commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In a statement on Friday, Malam Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant on media accused the PDP of publishing a mendacious press release, in which it made equally baseless accusations regarding Hajiya Zakari, about her neutrality and integrity in next month’s election.

Shehu said Zakari in the first place was originally appointed by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and was only reappointed by Buhari.

Second, Zakari is not a blood relation of President Buhari as the PDP had claimed.

Said Shehu in the press release on Friday:
“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.

“PDP, therefore, has 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”, Shehu said. (NAN)

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