Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho in court on Wednesday (Photo/nation.co.ke)
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) conducted a free and fair election at the gubernatorial level, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho told the court on Wednesday. According to Daily Nation, Joho a second term governor said that his re-election reflects the will of the people of Mombasa. The vocal county boss defended the commission against claims of election malpractices that saw him emerge the winner of the last general election.
The governor, also ODM deputy party leader denied influencing the outcome of the August exercise after former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar moved to court seeking for the nullification of his win. In a sworn affidavit, Joho while testifying before Justice Lydia Achode insisted that he has no case to answer since he was fairly re-elected.
“I am the duly elected Governor of Mombasa…The election was free and fair … IEBC did a commendable job, especially with respect to the election of the seat of the governor in Mombasa County,” Joho remarked, as quoted by the local daily.
Through his lawyer Yusuf Aboubakar, Omar said that Joho colluded with the commission to deny him victory. Mr Joho, lawyer Mohammed Balala told the court that Omar’s claims that County Returning Officer Nancy Wanjiku failed to comply with election regulations were baseless. His argument was backed by IEBC’s advocate, Senior Counsel Paul Nyamodi who told the court that the exercise was conducted in accordance with the law of this nation.
Justice Achode asked Omar’s lawyer to stop cross-examining the county boss when he asked him about the legitimacy of his degree certificate and qualification he used to defend his post.