Nine days before the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga squares it out with two other candidates who have expressed interest in the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson’s seat, his lieutenants have come out gun blazing to reprimand those opposed to his candidature.
The latest person to hit at naysayers is the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Communication Director Philip Etale.
In a statement on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Etale indicated that Kenyans should rally behind his candidature to rise at the helm of the continental body.
Etale argued that Raila had sacrificed a lot for the country and that citizens need to pass their blessings to him as he gears up for the AUC role whose elections are scheduled for February 2025.
“The only crime Raila Odinga committed was to fight tirelessly for the freedom everyone enjoys in this country,” Etale’s statement read in part.
“He must be allowed to succeed by the Grace of God,” it added.
Etale went on to defend the former Prime Minister insisting that he has a clean track record where he argued he had never grabbed or improperly taken someone’s property.
His sentiments followed a series of social media statements from a section of Kenyans opposing his candidature for the continental job.
Some of the social media users opposed to Raila’s candidature had even openly endorsed Djibouti’s candidate Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
However, the ODM communication director has dismissed their sentiments insisting that Raila deserves the win.
The only crime Raila Odinga committed was to FIGHT tirelessly for the freedom everyone enjoys in this country. @RailaOdinga, has never killed anyone, he’s never grabbed anyone’s property, he has never stolen anything from anyone. He must be allowed to succeed by the Grace of God.
— Philip Etale (@EtalePhilip) December 4, 2024
Debate next Friday
Amidst the social media storm, Raila is preparing to face it off with Richard Mahitsison Randriamandrato and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in a televised debate next Friday, December 13, 202,4, at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The much-anticipated debate will commence at 7:00 pm. The forum has been dubbed the Mjadala Afrika Leadership Debate. It will be conducted in French and English, with simultaneous interpretation provided to the candidates and the audience in all six working languages of the African Union (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili).
The debate will allow the three candidates to articulate their agenda and respond to questions regarding their candidacy.
After the debate, Raila will embark on the final stretch of his vote-hunting campaign before the elections in February 2025.
