Attacks against observer missions who monitored Kenya’s polls are uncalled for, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, Emmanuel Akwetey has said.
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Friday annulled the presidential election held in August after it argued it was not held in accordance with the constitution.
The court has ordered that a new election should be held within 60 days.
Many have since taken on various heads of observer missions, including former Presidents John Mahama and Thabo Mbeki who were heads of Commonwealth and AU Observer missions for declaring the election as free and fair.
They have argued that observer missions’ account on the election did not touch on various irregularities as alleged by Kenya’s opposition leader , Raila Odinga.
Dr. Akwetey, who was also an observer of Kenya’s polls, in a statement however defended heads of observer mission,especially Thabo Mbeki and John Mahama, saying they deserved commendation for giving a true account of developments on the ground.
“Please hold your fire. President Mahama and President Mbeki acquitted themselves well as leaders of the Commonwealth and AU Elections Observer Missions to Kenya, respectively.
I was in Kenya as an observer of the elections too. First, all observers agreed that the voting, vote counting and the e-transmissions of the results were transparent and credible. Therefore if the results published by the IEBC followed logically from the observations at the polling stations, then the results ought to be accepted as credible too,” he argued.
Mr. Akwetey pointed out that though “the international observers and their leaders could neither investigate the hacking allegations on the spot nor stop the declaration of the results, which the IEBC alone was empowered to do,” the two leaders “however engaged the IEBC and reported back to observers and the international media the IEBC had rejected the allegations by Raila’s camp…”
According to Mr. Akwetey , both Mahama and Mbeki “repeatedly advised Raila & Co to resort to the Supreme Court to deal with their [hacking] claims.”
He indicated that “Raila & Co initially rejected the two [former] Presidents’ advice and rather accused them of being friends or sympathisers of Kenyatta.”
Mr. Akwetey said the two leaders “maintained their composure and their stand that the elections as observed were transparent and credible,” despite resistance from Raila’s team.
“Let us therefore commend, rather than condemn, Prez Mbeki and Mahama as experienced African statesmen who uncompromisingly pointed Kenya in the direction of the SC; thereby, they played a critical role in steering Kenya away from a second post-elections violence in August 2017,”he said.
Source: Citifmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
It is unfortunate that with Mahama's reputation in Ghana and his corruption credentials someone will choose him to monitor elections anywhere. You also know that both him and Kenyatta were arranged before their respective Supreme Courts for rigging elections. Birds of the same furthers, they say, flock together. How on earth can Mahama be neutral and objective in an issue concerning Kenyatta? With Thabo Mbeki, the least said about him the better.This man swept a report of two people he sent to observe the infamous Zimbabwean elections under the carpet when he was President. The report rejected the elections so he didn't make it public. The report was discovered only last year after 10 years when the harm had already been made. His callousness against his own deputy, Zuma, shows the guy has no morals hence his own ANC rejected him, and Africans say he is the best bet for the continent?. If such people are leading Africa the God save the continent!!!
dr, akwetey u are a disgrace and never will u be made to observe any election in the world again, u and mahama are disgrace. no wander ghana is in a mess, course of people like u, from gh pp
The fact of the case is that this has come to proof that observer missions is not relevant in Africa's election and that they should not be seen as if they play any role when it comes to elections. All elections done in Africa i have never heard any observer mission from Africa saying that there were flaws(i stand to be corrected)