Postpone the elections, Raila asks Chebukati

The National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga has asked IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati to postpone next Thursday’s repeat presidential poll citing hostility.

“It is now clear that the condition in place cannot allow for a free and fair election” said Mr. Odinga.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with the IEBC chair at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi, the opposition chief rubbished claims of his ploy to broker a power-sharing deal with the government terming them as “cheap propaganda”.

“That is cheap propaganda perpetrated by people who are drunk with power. I don’t need any of those poisoned Nusu Mkate’s from them,” he said.

While pegging his decision to withdraw from the repeat presidential poll on the state of unpreparedness at the poll agency, Odinga however indicated that if reforms requested by NASA are done then the coalition would consider their withdrawal from the October 26th race.

On his part, NASA principal Musalia Mudavadi criticised police for disrupting opposition rallies with the most recent one having been in Laare, Meru County.

While urging the poll body to lay bare the implications of former IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe’s resignation, Mudavadi insisted that Akombe and Chebukati are sending a very serious message to the country saying: “the environment is not conducive for an election.”

Mudavadi however challenged the electoral body to come forward and reveal who was behind the excessive interference quoted in Akombe’s resignation letter and echoed in Chebukati’s statement on Wednesday.

Odinga’s sentiments come in the wake of a deemed split within the commission with Chebukati accusing a section of his commissioners of a “coup”  meant to undermine delivery of a credible poll.

On Wednesday, the IEBC chair expressed doubt of a credible poll come October 26th citing partisan commissioners, meddling in the running of the electoral commission by the political class and the lack of a conducive environment to run an election following political tension from warring Jubilee and NASA factions.