Cord to boycott 2017 polls if IEBC is not disbanded
BUNGOMA COUNTY. The coalition for reforms and democracy – CORD has threatened to boycott the next general elections slated for 8th August 2017 if radical changes are not attained in Kenya’s electoral body IEBC.
CORD co-principal who is also Ford Kenya party leader has revealed that the opposition will resist the elections until meaningful changes are made in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission that has come under constant criticism since the controversial 2013 elections were conducted and Jubilee coalition’s Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto were declared president and deputy president respectively.
Speaking at a fundraiser for Naitiri Girls high school in Tongaren constituency, Wetang’ula said that the CORD coalition decided last Thursday in Malindi that they will resist the conducting of the elections until the reforms are achieved to restore confidence in Kenyans on the electoral commission that is to oversee the elections as a referee.
“We announced in Malindi on Thursday that if we do not have meaningful reforms we shall resist the next general elections, because we are not going to walk in a trap open-eyed,” said Wetangula as he addressed the crowd in Naitiri.
He pointed out and claimed that IEBC had announced Jubilee as the winner of the 2013 polls yet they had not won the elections hence wondered what will hinder them from announcing the same team to be winners in the next elections.
“If IEBC announced Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner of the presidential race in 2013 yet he had not won, then what will bar them from announcing him the winner again, yet the supreme court that is supposed to be an arbiter also has its own problems,” Wetangula added.
The Bungoma senator who is also the senate minority leader noted the recent rejection of the one million signatures by the opposition to the IEBC in their bid to push for a referendum saying that the rejection was not justified.
He accused the electoral body as working in conjunction with the Jubilee coalition to frustrate the opposition hence cannot be trusted as a free and independent referee to oversee the elections.
We have no flag-bearer yet in CORD
At the same time Wetang’ula and his stalwarts came out fighting for their share in CORD in the wake of the supremacy battle between the three principles over who takes the mantle in next year’s general elections.
Wetang’ula who has been perceived with Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka as flower girls for ODM leader Raila Odinga as far as next year’s elections are concerned said that CORD must embrace internal democracy to ensure that the flag bearer is arrived at through a free and fair process.
The senator who seemed to be answering last week’s sentiments by ODM deputy party leader who is also Governor for Kakamega Wycliffe Oparanya that Raila is CORD’s flag bearer said that the opposition must be ready to embrace internal democracy between the tree principals.
“I am ready to serve this country and am ready to serve my people and everybody must have a primary constituency and that is why we want to see that within CORD that Raila with me and Kalonzo we have internal democracy that will assist us to move together and give Kenyans a fresh leadership,” he said.
In the same context Kiminini MP Dr. Chris Wamalwa said that CORD has never nominated its flag bearer hence disputing governor Oparanya’s sentiments that Raila Odinga is the CORD presidential flag bearer for the 2017 general elections.
“I want to ask Oparanya that as CORD when did we ever do the nominations nominate Raila Odinga as the flag bearer yet we know that we have three principals who all have an equal opportunity and chance of becoming the flag bearer of CORD,” said Wamalwa.
The Kiminini MP warned Oparanya to desist from making such sentiments that are likely to bring divisions within the opposition but instead wait for the decision by the CORD leaders and supporters to decide on their flag bearer.
“We are warning Oparanya to desist from making such alarming statements that arelikely to divide the coalition of CORD but he should instead wait for the decision of CORD members to decide on who shall be the flag bearer of CORD that comprises Ford Kenya, ODM and Wiper,” added Wamalwa.
He further said that the coalition shall come up with its mode of nominating the flag bearer ranging from primaries or an electoral college and even a consensus by the three principals to decide on who becomes the flag bearer for 2017 elections.
Speaking on the same issue of CORD flag bearer, Likuyani MP Dr. Enock Wamalwa Kibunguchi criticized governor Oparanya for unleashing statements which he said are meant to divide the people of Kakamega and Bungoma counties whom he said had co-existed for a long time.
Kibunguchy who termed Oparanya as a devil who has emerged to be a thorn in the flesh of the people of the two counties and the Luhya community at large by releasing suchstatements that disrupt unity and peace should be defeated at all costs.
“For all these years the people of Kakamega and Bungoma we have walked together but we are now facing one devil who wants to divide us and we are saying that the devil should be defeated. That devil is none other than Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya,” said Kibunguchy.
The legislator warned that Oparanya shall be send home as governor by Kakamega senator Dr. Boni Khalwale whom he said is the frontrunner for the gubernatorial seat in kakamega county.
“Surely as a governor from the Luhya nation how do you declare that your own brother should not come to Kakamega to launch his bid. I come from kakamega and I want to assure you that in 2017 we are going to send Oparanya packing through Dr. Boni Khalwale who is going to become the next governor for our county,” he added.
He promised to support Moses Wetangula in his bid and revealed that he will vie on a Ford Kenya ticket in 2017 elections and urged the people in the region to support the party.
Kakamega here we come to launch Wetangula’s presidency
On the issue of Wetangula’s launch of presidency in Muliro Gardens in Kakamega town on April 2nd, senator Wetangula and the two legislators said that the launch shall be held as scheduled and dismissed Oparanya’s opposition as inconsequential to the plan.
Wamalwa said that the Muliro Gardens is a public utility that can be used by Kenyans from anywhere hence Oparanya should not oppose such moves as if he owns the title deed of the garden.
“Muliro gardens is a public utility where members of the public meet to do different things and therefore governor Oparanya should not behave as if he is the owner of the garden and we are warning him that we are coming to meet him one on one as we launch Wetang’ula’s presidential bid,” Wamalwa added.
The leaders were reacting to statements that Oparanya made while addressing ODM delegates in Kitale that Wetang’ula has no right to launch his presidential bid in Kakamega yet he knows that CORD has already chosen Raila Odinga as its flag bearer for 2017 polls.
