Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat spokesperson, Makau Mutua, has called out President-elect William Ruto for raiding Azimio La Umoja and wooing its leaders to join his camp.
In a statement, on Friday, August 19, he also claimed that Ruto was plotting to take the country back to the dictatorial Kanu days when Kenya was a one-party state.
No Azimio constituent party, the scholar stated, had formally invoked the process of leaving the coalition, hence any purported defections were null and void.
He further termed the move by Ruto to woo Azimio members to his side as an act of impunity.
“We are shocked that DP William Ruto, who harbours dreams of leading Kenya, is already engaged in acts of impunity and disregard of the rule of law. He must suffer from gross ignorance of our laws.
"Ruto is assiduously wooing some of the leaders elected as Independents and on the Azimio coalition to defect to his side. This is the practice that was used in the KANU era to defeat the independence of the legislature and retard the growth of multiparty democracy," Mutua stated.
Azimio La Umoja constituent parties, he recapitulated, formally signed a pact before the 2022 elections which outline measures to be followed while pursuing an exit.
"No member of Azimio has legally invoked the process of leaving the coalition. All the members who signed as original members are still members in good standing. So, any purported defections are a legal nullity," he stated.
He further noted that for democracy to thrive there is a need for "pluralism in which different political parties compete on issues".
Mutua stated that Ruto was sensing defeat at the Supreme Court since Azimio plans to contest the outcome of the 2022 presidential election.
"We know he wants to create propaganda to give the impression that he is the inevitable victor. The court will be the final arbiter on who won this election, and we are confident that we won it.
"Why has Ruto panicked and resorted to illegal and corrupt conduct in violation of the law? It can only be because he has sensed defeat," Mutua opined.
