Politics

Kenyan election fallout: I’ll respect court ruling, Raila Odinga says

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2022

Former Kenya Prime Minister and presidential candidate in the August 9 general election, Raila Odinga, says though he has rejected the results of the election which declared vice president Wiliam Ruto winner, he will respect any ruling from the country’s court.

Odinga, who is a major opposition figure and the leader of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, said at a press conference on Tuesday that though he believes he won the disputed election and is contesting the election result in court, he will respect the ruling set for September 5.

Shortly after the Kenyan electoral commission announced Ruto as the winner of the election, Odinga’s legal team had promptly lodged a case in the Supreme Court alleging that a team working for Ruto had “hacked into the election system and replaced genuine pictures of polling station result forms with fake ones, thus increasing Ruto’s share of the vote.”

The 77-year-old Odinga who was contesting for the presidency for the fifth time, had also petitioned the electoral commission, saying its members had “premeditated unlawful and criminal subversion of the integrity and constitutionality of the electoral process in order to assist and secure a fraudulent result.”

The petition had also singled out the commission chairman, Wafula Chebukati, for allegedly “setting out to subvert the sovereign will of the people of Kenya and overthrow the constitutional order.”

The petition also alleged manipulation of some results forms and computer data and asserts that the actions made the difference in the close election in which Odinga received almost 49% of votes.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.