You're afraid of losing again, Jubilee tells Raila Odinga

Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju. He claims the Raila Odinga-led Nasa is afraid of “loss for a second time”. PHOTO | ONDARI OGEGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Mr Odinga had accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Jubilee government of complicity in electoral malpractices, saying "they were partners in crime".
• Mr Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka vowed to ensure IEBC, as currently constituted, does not conduct the fresh presidential election scheduled for October 17.

By JUSTUS OCHIENG
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President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party has accused the opposition of fearing fresh presidential elections as the National Super Alliance (Nasa) steps up its war against IEBC.

Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju claims the Raila Odinga-led Nasa is afraid of “loss for a second time”, hence looking for scapegoat to avoid the polls.

RIGGING

Mr Odinga and Nasa leaders have insisted that there will be no repeat presidential election on October 17 unless Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials accused of bungling August 8 polls are removed.

They also want far-reaching reforms to seal loopholes they claim were used to rig the General Election, and change of ballots printer.

But speaking during a press conference at the Kisumu International Airport, Mr Tuju hit out at Nasa over claims that Jubilee colluded with the electoral agency to rig the August 8 poll.

He said: “Nasa knows they cannot win this election. That is why they have hatched a plot against the IEBC. Their tactics are diversionary to avoid a shame of losing an election twice.”

REFORMS

He said the ruling party was ready for the elections in 60 days as ordered by the Supreme Court.

“We will follow the Constitution. Kenya is a country of laws and we are ready to abide by the court ruling to participate in a fresh election,” the former Rarieda MP said on Sunday evening.

He claimed Nasa was facing a desperate situation ahead of the repeat polls.

“Desperate situations call for desperate measures that is why Nasa is busy accusing everybody instead of planning for the coming elections,” he said.

Mr Tuju faulted Nasa against its fresh onslaught on the IEBC commissioners who, he said, were recruited after Mr Odinga’s camp sent away the previous team.

UNDER SIEGE

“They are being disingenuous because the IEBC at the moment was a creation of Nasa. They should focus on the elections on October 17,” he said.

Nasa wants the IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba, his deputies Marjan Hussein Marjan and Betty Nyabuto, commissioners Abdi Guliye and Molu Boya, ICT boss James Muhati, Immaculate Kassait, Praxedes Tororey and Moses Kipkogey out as well as reforms ahead of the fresh polls.

"Kenyans are coming for you. Salvage what you can and run. There will be no election with you in office," Mr Odinga said at a news conference in Nairobi on Sunday.