DSS boss is an APC member, Zakari cannot be INEC head – PDP

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its meeting on Wednesday brought the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to some disturbing development in the polity which, it said if not nipped in the bud, might significantly affect Nigeria’s democracy and stability as a nation.

A press conference addressed by the Acting National Chairman the party, Prince Uche Secondus, on Wednesday, drew the attention of the President to the alleged continued intimidation, harassment as well as the hounding, arrest and detention of Electoral Officers and members of election tribunals by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and other PDP states.

A statement he issued said “The NWC notes that this unfortunate development has been the case since the appointment of the new Director General of the DSS, Alhaji Lawal Musa Daura, whom we learnt was a critical intelligence stakeholder of the APC as a card-carrying member of that party during the campaigns.

“This is ungodly and unacceptable. We do hope that in his new job, the Director General of DSS is not mixing issues on the APC presidential candidate and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hence the need for Mr. President to rein him in as the development is capable of eroding the cherished independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission, a sine qua non for a virile democracy, which guarantees our unity and stability as a nation.

“Similarly, we urge Mr. President to take a critical look at the issue of the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as Acting Chairman of INEC for which our party has severally raised some salient issues why she is not suitable for that position.

“It is incontrovertible that Mrs. Zakari by virtue of her blood relationship with Mr. President cannot preside over the affairs of an Independent National Electoral Commission.

“Nigeria belongs to all of us irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliation and as a responsible political party we shall not fold our hands and watch while our nation drift along dangerous line.

“Furthermore, the NWC commends and congratulates the PDP caucuses in the Senate and the House of Representatives on the smooth emergence of the Minority leadership in the National Assembly.

“We note that the process was without any interferences whatsoever from the leadership of our great party in keeping with the dictates of the independence of the legislature”.

#APC #DSS #PDP