IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati has insisted that the electoral commission will push ahead with the repeat polls, regardless of external pressure and the current political atmosphere. Speaking hours after the resignation of former IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe, Chebukati said his name will not be tainted down the history trail, “I shall not go down in the history of this country as the national returning officer who plunged the country into further crisis than I found it,” said Chebukati. He said Kenyans have placed their hopes on him, and he needs a united IEBC front.
In a somewhat stern tone, the IEBC boss said he won’t resign, “Resignation will be the easiest thing to do, but we all have to put our country first,” said Chebukati. He said he will not tolerate any disturbances and threats to the IEBC staff, “I’ll not tolerate threats to my staff anymore and I’ll not tolerate interference anymore,” he said, “Kenyans are paying a lot of money for this election and as their custodian I’ll not let Kenyans’ money go to waste.” He regretted that it’s painful for him to be the chairman of an electoral body that presided over an election that was nullified by the Supreme Court.
However, he urged NASA and Jubilee leaders to accept a political dialogue which will help to restore the dignity of the country. He said the political leaders who should be on the front line when it comes to building the nation are in fact tearing it down, due to their personal interests, adding that all political parties should interfere with the electoral process, “Failure to do this will result in consequences,” he said, “No one side is absolved from this and my warning goes to all the parties involved. Let my commission do our job and we will deliver, interfere as you have been doing and we shall be stuck as a country.”