Raila Odinga’s Comment on Brazil Elections Elicits Backlash

An Image of the Azimio Party Leader Raila Odinga.
An Image of the Azimio Party Leader Raila Odinga.
Daily Nation

Azimio La Umoja party leader Raila Odinga was on Monday, January 9 castigated by netizens after he supported Brazil's president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the statement, Odinga threw his weight behind Lula while revealing that the situation in Brazil saddened him.



The attack on democracy and peaceful transfer of power in Brazil is deeply troubling and saddens me,



We support Lula and all who believe in the power of democracy and Brazil's democratic institutions and its people,

 A collage of Brasil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Left) and former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro (Right).
A collage of Brasil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Left) and former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro (Right).
Kenyans.co.ke

We must defend the values that underpin our societies,” read the statement.

Netizens questioned why Odinga would support democratic processes in another country while castigating the same in Kenya.

A user by the name of WachiraKE wrote, But supporting democratic institutions in Kenya such as IEBC and the Supreme Court is where you draw the line..”

On his part, Joel Gambi wondered about Odinga’s statement,

“Conceding defeat in Kenya’s elections is where you draw the line?? ..smh,” he stated.



Another user by the name of Mutonye Mutuku called out the ODM party leader accusing him of hypocrisy.



"But when it comes to Kenyan institutions that's where your respect ends? Spare us the hypocrisy!" he retorted.



Odinga's statement came in the background of supporters of Brazilian far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who on Sunday, January 8 stormed the Presidential Palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia.



Videos on social media showed Bolsonaro supporters smashing windows and furniture in the National Congress and Supreme Court buildings on Sunday, January 8.

They climbed onto the roof of the Congress building, where Brazil’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies conduct their legislative business, waving a banner that read “intervention” and an apparent appeal to Brazil’s military.

The backlash against Odinga was fueled by his recent refusal to accept the August election results which saw the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declare William Ruto as the President-elect of Kenya.

Odinga accused IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati of bungling the election, opining that he should be charged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.



He alleged that Chebukati did an evil act by announcing Ruto as the winner of the August 9, 2022 elections. 

Local politicians castigated Odinga's perennial complaints against the commission, with South Mugirango lawmaker and National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro on Monday, January 9 calling out the former Prime Minister.



"We cannot be using Raila Odinga as a marking scheme on who does best as far as IEBC is concerned,



We should let independent bodies remain independent," he stated.

President William Ruto honouring former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati during the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Monday December 12, 2022
President William Ruto honouring former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati during the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Monday, December 12, 2022.
Photo
Youth Kenya Falcon Group

 

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