• They said during the nomination exercise on February 15, 90 parties were present but six abstained, one vote was spoilt
• Raila has insisted that there be a fresh appointment of political party representatives to the Selection panel.
Image: ENOS TECHE
Eighty-two parties under the auspices of the Political Parties Liaison Committee have denounced Raila Odinga's call for mass action to push for among other things, electoral justice.
They claim Raila lobbied parties under the Azimio la Umoja to boycott the nomination exercise for a representative of the PPLC on the IEBC nomination panel.
"It is worth noting that before the commencement of the voting exercise and even as the voting was going on, there were parties from the Azimio coalition that were lobbying fellow members to boycott the voting process in obedience to a call by Raila Odinga to do so," the parties said on Tuesday through organising secretary Andrew Njoroge.
They said during the nomination exercise on February 15, 90 parties were present but six abstained, one vote was spoilt while one party was absent "for fairly logical reasons."
The parties say they are planning to call for a mega press conference to give a chronological breakdown to demonstrate that their representation on the IEBC selection panel was arrived at through a democratic process.
They said they are offended by Raila's disregard for a process that already took place and in which 82 parties participated flawlessly.
"It clearly defeats logic as to why the said party leaders would later come and cry wolf and start trying to force another unconstitutional process of identifying representatives to the Selection Panel."
Raila has insisted that there be a fresh appointment of political party representatives to the Selection Panel.
His call for mass action beginning Monday, March 20 is partly aimed at pressuring the Kenya Kwanza government to give in to this demand.
"The IEBC Selection Panel is a puppet Ruto clique that intends to create seven Chebukatis who will aid him in stealing the 2027 general elections. For this reason, Ruto must go," Raila said on Thursday last week when launching the mass action.
The PPLC called on their members to ignore the protests and urged Raila to embrace dialogue as highlighted in the Kriegler report if he feels aggrieved by the composition of the IEBC Selection Panel.