NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 23 – Leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters party Julius Malema has sent President Elect William Ruto his congratulatory message through a phone call, following his victory in last week’s polls.
Malema also commended Kenya for conducting peaceful and democratic elections.
“This morning, I spoke to President elect William Ruto and congratulated him for winning the democratic elections in Kenya,” Malema stated.
The outspoken EFF leader also called upon the Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga to concede defeat and told him not to go down in history as one who was desperate for power.
Odinga has already lodged a petition at the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the announcement of William Ruto as the President Elect, citing massive irregularities in the conduct of the exercise.
“We call on Mr. Raila Odinga to accept the election’s outcome, and not form part of a tradition of causing instability, and uncertainty in African governance,” he said.
Alongside Odinga, there are other eight petitioners seeking to overturn Ruto’s win on grounds that the elections were flawed.
Some of the petitioners claim that none of the presidential candidates attained the constitutional threshold of 50 per cent plus one vote to be declared an outright winner of the vote.
