Former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga who came second in Kenya’s presidential election has reacted to the Supreme Court verdict that upholds Deputy President William Ruto as the President-elect.
The seven-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Martha Koome ruled on Monday that the presidential election results that announced Ruto as winner remains.
Odinga, last month, appealed the results of the election made by the chairman, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, saying they were “null and void.”
Supreme Court’s ruling
But, yesterday, Koome, in her ruling, said, “The petitioners did not provide a water-tight case against the election results.”
She added, “This is the unanimous decision of the court and we make the following orders. The presidential election petition number E005 of 2022 as consolidated with the presidential election petition numbers E0,0,1,2,3,4,7 and 8 of 2022 are hereby dismissed.
“As a consequence, we declare the election result of the first respondent as President-elect to be valid.”
Reacting, through a statement posted on his verified Twitter page, Odinga, a five-time presidential candidate said, “We respect the opinion of the court although we vehemently disagree with their decision today.”
Odinga’s reaction
Odinga argued that, “Our lawyers proffered irrefutable evidence and the facts were on our side, unfortunately, the judges saw it otherwise.
“We find it incredible that the judges found against us on all nine (9) grounds and occasion resulted to unduly exaggerated language to refute our claims.”
He then added, “The judgement is by no means the end of our movement. In fact, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to transform this country into a prosperous democracy where each and every Kenyan can find their full belonging.”
Ruto’s response
Meanwhile, Ruto commend the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday via his verified Twitter page.
“We salute the Supreme Court for performing its duty with utmost fidelity to the Constitution. Its professionalism has elevated the stature of the Judiciary and enhanced the place of the petition process in legitimizing election results as the true reflection of the people’s decision,” Ruto said.
Credit: THE VANGUARD.
