Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA party now risks being locked out of the August 9 poll after failing to beat the IEBC Monday deadline on the two-third gender rule.
By Monday evening, the party was yet to revise its lists or give a communication concerning the matter with reports emerging that the party was held up in talks with the commission over it.
UDA is among the more than 40 political outfits that were on the commission’s radar for failing to comply with the rule in their previous lists of nominees for MPs and senatorial seats. They had until Monday midnight to revise their lists.
Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC is now revising its list asking all the nominees for MPs and senatorial seats that want to be considered to submit their applications.
Major parties which include the ODM, Jubilee and Wiper also did not adhere to the rule.
The electoral agency warned parties against failing to comply saying they will block them from taking part in the August 9 general election.
In what appears to be a U-turn from its earlier threat of moving to court to challenge the matter, UDA has now resorted to having it addressed administratively.
Nominated senator Hillary Sigei who is one of the UDA party’s lawyers confided to the Star they were having consultations with the commission to have it flex its muscles over the matter.
“It is true we did not beat the deadline but we are not worried since we are negotiating with them. We want to explore all the options available first otherwise we are ready with the documentation to challenge it in court,” he said.
He argued that there was no law in place that gives IEBC powers to take any action to block a party that fails to comply with the rule from taking part in the general election as it had threatened.
He, however, noted that should the dialogue fail to break the impasse they will be left with no option but to file a petition.
There was no word from IEBC over it by the time of going to press.
