Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has stated that President William Ruto is not to blame for his loss of the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship race
He was Addressing guests at a dinner in Addis Ababa where he highlighted that the President did “everything possible” to support his campaign.
“There will be a lot of blame games: I did not do much as expected; I am tired and too old; Ruto was not genuine in supporting me… Ruto did everything possible for this campaign. He gave me all the logistical support I needed and made my appointments to meet all leaders on the continent. I walk with with my head tall
On his part, Ruto stated that he was “disappointed” by the election outcome, highlighting that Odinga “was the best candidate.”
“I regret that Africa missed an opportunity to be served by the finest of our continent,” he said, adding that Odinga made him “proud” nonetheless
Among those who have blamed President Ruto for Odinga’s loss is Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who on Sunday said Odinga’s prospects in the race were undermined by Ruto’s efforts to mediate the crisis in the DRC.
“The 16-member SADC (Southern African Development Community) bloc had issues with William Ruto’s leadership. This caused this terrible loss to the country,” Musyoka stated.
“Raila’s image was soiled by this loss. SADC supported Djibouti’s candidate because of their problem with Ruto,” Kalonzo added.
Ahead of Saturday’s AUC chairmanship elections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, SADC urged its members to back Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato in the polls.
However, But Djibouti’s Youssouf won the race after garnering 33 votes, constituting the required two-thirds. He now replaces Moussa Faki of Chad who has held the position for eight years.
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