President Buhari Appoints New INEC Boss, Amina Bala Zakari

The Director of Communications for the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Haruna Imrana, publicly announced yesterday night in a 3-paragraph statement that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Amina Bala Zakari as Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the departure of Prof. Attahiru Jega, who completed his 5-year tenure Tuesday.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, who conveyed the appointment to Mrs. Zakari in a letter, said the appointment is with immediate effect and would remain in force until the appointment of a substantive Chairman for the election body.

According to her profile on INEC website, Mrs. Zakari, a pharmacist, hails from Jigawa State. She was a Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo and was deployed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration where she, between 2004-2007, served as Secretary of Health, Human Services and Social Development, and later that of Agriculture and Rural Development.