Raila Odinga’s statement on repeat poll

Today will go down in history as a day of infamy.

A nation’s destiny depends upon the people’s freedom to elect leaders who will fulfill their aspirations and determine the direction their country will take. That goal, which ushered in the dawn of democracy in 2002, now lies in tatters. Like everything else Jubilee has touched.

That is why we have seen in the last few days an outpouring of additional support for NASA’s cause, which is built on creating peace and security rather than tension, instability and human suffering that Jubilee’s lawlessness has plunged the country into.

Buoyed by that support, NASA yesterday launched a national campaign of unprecedented scope that will mobilise Kenyans to restore the cardinal values of democracy and the rule of law.

As was recognised in our 2010 Constitution, that goal can be reached only through the powerful and protective institutions that have been attacked and undermined throughout Jubilee’s rule.

That decades-long struggle for justice and a new Constitutional order was waged and won peacefully. In our new campaign of peaceful resistance to unlawfully constituted authority, we will convene a People’s Assembly to guide the country to a fresh, free and fair presidential election, as decreed by the Supreme Court.

Our resistance to unlawfully constituted authority will also include the powerful economic weapon of boycotting goods and services produced by those who have supported Uhuru’s lawless grab of the Presidency.

We will conduct ourselves in peace. That is why we told Kenyans at yesterday’s rally to avoid confrontations and hold vigils and prayers far from the polling stations.

The principles of peaceful and lawful struggle for change are more pivotal than ever today, since people recognise that enormous damage is wrought when a government is determined to hold on to power through means fundamentally destructive of the Constitution.

Even while Uhuru Kenyatta was planning these crimes, he repeatedly demanded that NASA comply with the Constitution; he accused us of trying to seize power through the back door or violence; and he accused us of undermining independent institutions.

Kenyans have now seen that every single criminal intention he charged NASA with is exactly what he himself and Jubilee have employed to hold on to power by lawless and extra-constitutional means. Why did they plan to do it this way? Because Jubilee knew it had profoundly alienated itself from most communities and could not win a competitive election.

And so we are witnessing the bizarre sight today of a President about to be installed without an election.

Every time NASA encountered a roadblock, we sought remedies from the courts, while those who hurled at us accusations of illegality were busy plotting the destruction of both the courts and the IEBC.

NASA’s commitment to the rule of law is ironclad.