Githunguri Member of Parliament (MP) Njoroge Baiya has rubbished threats by opposition leader Raila Odinga that he will boycott the next year’s general election if IEBC is not disbanded.
Baiya said that Odinga’s threat does not affect anything saying that other will take part in the elections without him.
The MP said that it is not mandatory for Odinga to be in the elections.
“Odinga and his colleagues should know that elections will be held even without them,” he said when he addressed residents at Githunguri town on Saturday.
The Githunguri MP accused the opposition of blackmail the electoral body.
He also asked also asked opposition leaders to call off their weekly protests and use the right channels to air the grievances they have against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Baiya said that Cord grievances against IEBC can be addressed constitutionally and not by use of protests.
Mr Baiya said that the protests by opposition are violence and could easily disrupt peace in the country.
“Our brothers in opposition should use the right and appropriate mechanisms in their quest to have IEBC disbanded,” he said.
Mr Baiya at stated that disbanding IEBC without addressing the key electoral issues will not help much.
“There is need for leaders in both the government and opposition to sit together and look into the electoral issues before the 2017 elections,” he said.
The MP's concern comes as a section of religious leaders pile pressure on Cord and Jubilee to dialogue over IEBC.
On Wednesday, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) urged Cord and Jubilee leaders to drop their hard stands and give dialogue a chance on matters touching IBEC.
NCCK Secretary General Canon Peter Karanja said that the stalemate over IEBC can be resolved if opposition leaders and Jubilee leaders agree to dialogue.
The clergy warned that the country’s peace is at risk if the opposition continues with their protests.