PH
Opposition Chief Raila Odinga has hit out at beleaguered officials of the electoral body after they threatened to ban the Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord) from the 2017 elections.
The Cord leader Tuesday referred to the threat by the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) chairman Issack Hassan as ‘childish’.
Hassan last Friday at a press conference in Nairobi vowed not to resign together with top officials of IEBC despite sustained criticism by the Opposition over corruption allegations and credibility concerns.
The IEBC boss instead turned the heat on Raila and warned him that his coalition risks being banned from participating in the next general elections, if they persist with personal attacks on the electoral bosses.
“It is foolhardy and childish to say that IEBC will ban CORD from participating in elections. That is brinkmanship, megalomania or childish petulance. It is an abuse of constitutional mandate and responsibility,” said Raila at a press briefing at Capitol Hill offices.
“As a coalition of political parties, we know our role under the Constitution, the Political Parties Act and the Elections Act and we do not need lectures from the discredited commissioners of IEBC including the Chairman,” he added.
Present at the press briefing were Senators Johnstone Muthama (Machakos) and James Orengo (Siaya).
