Raila now accuses President Ruto of plot to rig 2027 elections

Raila now accuses President Ruto of plot to rig 2027 elections

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga on Friday, December 2,2022.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga now claims that President William Ruto’s move to suspend the four IEBC commissioners is a plot to rig the 2027 General Election.

According to Odinga, the Kenya Kwanza government intends to eject the four commissioners; Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Irene Masit and Justus Nyang’aya, with a long–term goal of controlling the commission to their advantage in the 2027 polls.

 “As was expected, the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly has recommended the formation of a tribunal to kick out the four IEBC commissioners,” Odinga said.

He added: “We have said it before and we will say it again, the tribulations of the commissioners are not about the 2022 elections. This is about the 2027 elections. Mr Ruto wants to rig 2027 elections in 2022.”

Odinga was speaking during a meeting with Azimio allied leaders in Nairobi.

While faulting the recommendation to suspend the commissioners, the former premier went on to argue that President Ruto’s administration seeks to have the sole decision of appointing their preferred commissioners in a bid to influence the 2027 election outcome.

“That is why it is not Wafula Chebukati facing JLAC despite being indicted by the Supreme Court. The four are being forced out because William Ruto and the UDA administration want a clean slate at the IEBC and fill it with his stooges and henchmen for the 2027 elections,” Odinga claimed.

He went further to cite the late President Mwai Kibaki’s era in 2007 where according to him, Kibaki solely appointed election officials, resulting in the post-election violence that led to the death of more than 1300 Kenyans.

“As Azimio Party, our concern and fear are that we have been here before. We were here in 2007 when the Kibaki administration singled-handily picked IEBC officials ahead of elections. We protested. We were called names,’ he stated.

Odinga added: “As happened back then, UDA is amending the laws governing the appointment of IEBC commissioners to allow the administration complete leeway to pack the commission with its henchmen.”

The ODM party leader’s sentiments follow a directive by the head of state on Friday to suspend the four commissioners and formulate a tribunal which would then consider a petition for their removal.

President Ruto said the decision followed a recommendation by the National Assembly that sought to oust the commissioners over their conduct during the August 9th, 2022 General Election.

“Having received and considered the petition of the National Assembly … I, William Samoei Ruto, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, do hereby direct that Juliana Whonge Cherera,  Francis Mathenge Wanderi, Irene Cherop Masit and Justus Abonyo Nyang’aya, being members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, be and are hereby suspended from office with immediate effect,” read a section of the Gazette notice.

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