IEBC commissioner Guliye says he was wrongly joined in Azimio’s petition
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Abdi Guliye has stated that he was wrongly joined in the petition filed by Azimio One Kenya coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua.
In an affidavit, Guliye stated that the problems highlighted in the petition centred on alleged incidents, actions, or inactions that occurred while the petitioner was serving as a commissioner for the first respondent (IEBC).
“Even if the petitioners were to raise any grievances against me, I verily believe that a presidential election petition under Article 140 of the constitution is not the appropriate forum and form of seeking redress,” he said.
Guliye, also claims that the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) warned IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati not to declare William Ruto as the president-elect.
He noted that the security committee led by the Principal Administrate Secretary in the office of president Kennedy Kihara, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, IG Hillary Mutyambai and vice chief of defence forces lieutenant general Francis Omondi Ogola.
“Kihara proceeded to caution us that if we proceeded with the declaration of the results with Ruto as president-elect and chaos erupt, ‘then the blood of the dead Kenyans’ will be on our hands,” Guliye said.
In another occasion, Guliye disclosed Chebukati met a host of leaders affiliated with Azimio on the morning of the day the Presidential results were declared.
Chebukati announced the presidential results on the same day around 5:30 pm.
“About 3 am on the morning of August 15, the chairperson was visited by Raphael Tuju, senator Amos Wako and Advocate Kyalo Mbob,” Guliye said.
He said the chairperson called all the commissioners to join him to engage the visitors.
“When all the commissioners arrived, the meeting was commenced by the chairperson by inviting the visitors to state their issues. Wako indicated that they had come to ask the commission not to operate ‘in a vacuum’ and that it must consider the link between the election results being declared and the stability of the country which he described as ‘the bigger picture,” he said.
Guliye said that the petitioners’ choice to add the first respondent’s commissioners as substantive respondents in this manner is a distraction strategy and shows abuse of the legal system, neither of which should be tolerated.
