Be Man Enough and Call Off Thursday's Election, Raila Tells IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati
National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga has told Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati to be "man enough" and call off repeat Presidential election set for Thursday.
Speaking during a series of stopovers in Trans Nzoia County on Sunday, the opposition chief declared that the coalition will resume its demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday, and maintained that there will be no election on Thursday.
“We will protest on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday there will be no election,” he said.
“We are telling Mr Chebukati to be man enough and be firm. He should say he cannot assure a free and fair election and Kenyans will stand by him,” said Mr Odinga amid cheers from hundreds of supporters who turned up at the rally.
He added: “You have the support of more than 10 million voters who are against rigging of the election but when you stand and insist that I should talk with Uhuru who is moving around saying I want a coalition government, you are losing goodwill,” he said.
“You think I can go to Uhuru and request for a coalition government? He is the one who stole the elections.”
The former Prime Minister dismissed IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba's decision to take a 3-week leave a week to the repeat election, saying that it a ploy “to hoodwink Kenyans as he has left an already set system”.
“We cannot go to the poll again when things have not been properly rectified. Already the rigging plot is in place. We know that votes have already been printed and have been distributed. We are not fools.”
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) said that what will be conducted on Thursday will be a sham election that Nasa cannot be part of. “We have evidence to show Kenyans that what is going to take place on Thursday in the name of an election is a total sham. The outcome is already decided,” said the Nasa chief.
“We want to let Jubilee know that we are prepared to participate in a free and fair election but we are not prepared for an election which has already been rigged,” he added.