Femi Adesina blasts Olisa Metuh over his comments on new INEC boss, says they are laughable

Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity,
Femi Adesina has reacted strongly to the statement made by
Olisa Metuh, the PDP National Publicity secretary at a press
conference yesterday where he, Metuh, said his party was
rejecting the appointment of Mrs Zakari as INEC boss
because of her closeness to President Buhari.
In a statement released last night, Femi Adesina said other
than gathering boring reporters at his press conference,
Olisa Metuh has nothing new to say and that his party's
rejection of Zakari's appointment is laughable.
"We have noted with regret, the latest tirade against
President Muhammadu Buhari issued today by the PDP’s
Spokesman, Mr Olisa Metuh. Other than boring reporters at
his press conference with a rehash of baseless allegations
of inaction against the President, Mr Metuh clearly had
nothing new to say apart from his charge of nepotism and
partisanship in the appointment of the Acting INEC
Chairman, which also lacks any factual foundation. President
Buhari certainly did not “overrule” Prof. Attahiru Jega in
appointing Mrs Amina Zakari as the acting INEC Chairman,
as Mr Metuh alleged. Prof. Jega’s purported handing over to
another Commissioner cannot be construed as an
“appointment” because only the President has the
constitutional authority, which he exercised to appoint Mrs
Zakari as acting Chairman of INEC.
Contrary to Mr Metuh’s allegations, President Buhari’s
appointment of Mrs Zakari as acting INEC Chariman was
based entirely on merit, her vast experience in the internal
operations of INEC and the President’s commitment to
affirmative action in support of gender equality, because,
apart from being fully qualified for the position, Mrs Zakari
was the only woman among the six Commissioners
considered. Due Process was certainly followed in Mrs
Zakari’s appointment.
Mr Metuh’s spurious claims of her appointment having been
influenced by “personal relationship with the Presidency” and
a Governor in the North-West “to pave the way for the APC”
at election tribunals should be disregarded by the public. The
allegations are nothing but falsehoods contrived by Mr
Metuh to unjustly denigrate a President popularly elected by
Nigerians to undo the damage done to the nation by years of
PDP rule. His claim that the PDP has rejected Mrs Zakari’s
appointment is also laughable after he had admitted that the
right and power of the President to make such appointments
cannot be questioned,” the statement read

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