Azimio Leader Raila Odinga and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday issued an update on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader's bid for the Africa Union Commission Chairperson role.
In a joint presser at Mudavadi’s office at the Kenya Railways in Nairobi, the Azimio Principal commended President William Ruto for going out of his way to lobby African presidents to vote for him.
According to Odinga, Ruto's participation in the bid is hinged not on political interests but on the larger interests of the country and the continent as a whole.
While lauding the government’s support, Odinga noted that proper coordination between his team and the state would be adequate to catapult him to the top role.
"We are in this as Kenya and not as individual political parties. We have agreed on the need for efficiency and the need to cut bureaucracy" Raila Odinga stated.
“With commitment and proper coordination between my team and the government, we should be able to clinch the AUC position,” he added.
The Azimio leader also expressed gratitude to several government officials who pledged to lobby his candidature, noting that their decision came as a surprise to him.
Mudavadi on the other hand affirmed the government’s commitment to support Raila in his quest for the AU Commission seat regardless of divergent political stands.
According to Mudavadi, President William Ruto fully endorsed Odinga’s candidature and will continue to drum up the support needed to ensure that Raila emerges victorious.
“The candidate’s endeavour and leadership align with the AU Commission’s values of efficiency, professionalism and respect for diversity,” Mudavadi noted.
“We have no doubt the candidate will pursue excellence in line with the continent's collective aspiration of the Africa we want in 2063 as framed in the AU’s development agenda," he added.
Mudavadi also confirmed that a team constituting Raila's political allies and a section of government officials had been formed to aid in the campaign process.
