Amina Bala-Zakari

Amina Bala Zakari of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigerian electoral body. Her appointment took effect from the directive of the President Muhammadu Buhari following the expiration of the tenure of her predecessor, Attahiru Jega on 30 July 2015.

Zakari was the first woman to be appointed to the position of the leadership of INEC.

Early life and education Zakari is a princess of the Jigawa State. She was born on 23 June 1960 to the late Emir of Kazaure, Hussaini Adamu. Zakari completed her elementary education at Shekara Girls Primary School, Kano in 1971 and had her secondary education include the following at various times: Certificate in Managing Drugs Supply for Primary Health Care from MHS Amsterdam, Netherlands, Certificate in Project Management, Certificate in Senior Management from Crown Agents London, United Kingdom and Certificate in Business Management from Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

Personal life and career Zakari is a widow; raising five children on her own since the loss of her husband in December 2000. Her late husband was Bala Zakari Kazaure (Santurakin Kazaure) a career banker and economist. He was an executive at Union Bank PLC at the time of his death and prior to that had held many positions at United Bank of Africa.

She had her National Youth Service Programme at the then Federal University of Technology, Bauchi between 1981 and 1982, where she set up a Pharmacy and Drug Store Dispensary as her service year project. She began her professional career Her monitoring background afforded an opportunity to enforce ethical practice in FCT private hospitals through active registration and inspection.

Zakari served as Special Assistant to the President from 2004 to 2007 posted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) working at various times as Secretary, Health and Human Services; Secretary, Social Development and Acting Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development. Her mandate at INEC includes political parties' supervision via the Political Parties Monitoring Committee. Zakari also chaired the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) with responsibility for party system consolidation. Until her appointment as Acting Chairman, Zakari was chairman of the INEC Planning Monitoring and Strategy Committee effective November 2014.

Claims Of Being Related To President Buhari On 27 July 2015, the Nigerian Tribune claimed that President Buhari was related to Zakari.

That claim was widely reported in the Nigerian media as a sign of nepotism by Buhari. The basis of the claim was an interview with a supporter of then president Jonathan, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai stated:

However, on 8 September 2015, in another interview on Channels TV and published by The Mail Express, Yakassai denied criticizing the appointment of Zakari or about her relations with Buhari and that his actual words were manipulated by certain parties.

Yakassai stated that he was responding to a reporter if Zakari was related to Buhari, which Yakassai admitted was not related.

Yakasai further stated that Zakari's "neutrality should not be contested on the grounds of familiarity with the president because she is entitled to the post as a Nigerian and a qualified professional."