Deputy President William Ruto has told off the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for threatening to stop IEBC from overseeing Jubilee Party primaries.
Ruto said Jubilee has a constitutional right to request services from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“We are consulting IEBC with a view of seeking its services in conducting our primaries because it is our constitutional right to seek the agency’s services on matters of nominations,” said DP Ruto on Monday.
Ruto told the Raila Odinga led party to concentrate on putting their house in order and stop meddling into Jubilee affairs.
The Jubilee party has scheduled its nominations for April.
Party head of secretariat Raphael Tuju last week said they have agreed to form a joint technical committee (with IEBC) to explore means for the electoral body to hold nominations on behalf of Jubilee, to ensure credibility.
On Sunday, ODM Party secretary for political affairs Opiyo Wandayi said that IEBC is the constitutionally mandated arbiter in disputes that may arise from internal party activities like nominations and can therefore not be party to such activities.
Wandayi said IEBC’s mandate as spelled out in Article 88 of the Constitution cannot be donated to a third party, under any circumstance.
“The IEBC cannot therefore be expected to sit in arbitration over disputes that may arise from a party nomination exercise that it has itself presided over,” he said.
Photo: DPPS