- The senior counsel avers that it's about time the former prime minister's political antics of holding the government hostage whenever he losses elections are brought to an end.
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"We are such a banana Republic that Hon Raila and his ilk can contra-legally challenge the state endlessly, break the law of the land and we can't do anything," Abdullahi said.
Image: FILE
Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi has challenged the government to take the bull by its horns and crack the whip against ODM leader Raila Odinga.
The senior counsel avers that it's about time the former prime minister's political antics of holding the government hostage whenever he losses elections are brought to an end.
"We are such a banana Republic that Hon Raila and his ilk can contra-legally challenge the state endlessly, break the law of the land and we can't do anything," Abdullahi said.
Raila has issued a decree and marshalled his supporters to push back against President William Ruto and his regime which he says is in office illegitimately.
He says he won the August 9 polls with 8.1 million votes against Ruto's 5.9 million votes and has since called on the President to resign.
"We defeated Ruto with over 2 million votes and even if we were to go back to the polls, we shall defeat him again," Raila said on Sunday during a rally at Jacaranda grounds.
It was the second rally following the first one at Kamukunji grounds on January 23 where he rallied his supporters to denounce the Ruto presidency.
Ruto and his allies in government have said the rallies and protests are being sponsored by individuals opposed to paying taxes.
He claims they are the same people who used state machinery in the previous regime to evade taxes.
"Even if they sponsor demonstrations so that they don't pay taxes, I want to promise them, they will pay tax. There is no more exception," Ruto said during a National Assembly Seminar in Mombasa on Monday.
During the Jacaranda rally, Raila insisted that Azimio's resolve to push Ruto out of office was unstoppable.
"The Ruto-led UDA regime must go. No handshake, no deals, no agreements, no retreat!" he said on Sunday.
Raila warned President Ruto that he should not underestimate him, pointing out that the power of the people is mightier than government authority.
"You don't know us, go and ask Nyayo (late President Moi)...the power of the people is the voice of God."
Abdullahi said it's about time the inspector general of police Japheth Koome instituted investigations against Raila's actions and pronouncements.
Ordinarily, threatening to overthrow a legitimately elected government amounts to treason, a crime punishable by death under Kenyan law.
"If the rule of law was alive in Kenya, IG Koome will open a police inquiry file, investigate the shenanigans of Hon Raila and his associates and pass the police file to the office of the director of public prosecution Noordin Haji to make a decision," the lawyer said.
Abdullahi was, however, quick to point out that this may prove to be a monumental task given the influence and Raila's stature which previous regimes failed to deal with.
Whereas he ruled out the possibility of Raila overthrowing the government, the senior counsel said if left unchecked, the ODM leader will continue his rebellion until he shakes down the foundation of the state.
"These perennial revolts have become Hon Raila's default mode, thus his assault on the state every time he loses the election.
"But since the criminal law is inapplicable to Warlords of his stature, he is strong enough to checkmate the state outside the realms of the law. It's high time the law is enforced no matter the consequences," Abdullahi said.