The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party has officially thrown its weight behind the recent declaration of intent by its leader Raila Odinga to bid for the African Union Commission Chairperson position.
“As Azimio coalition, we welcome and congratulate our party leader for the bold step of putting his name forward for consideration of this most important role to the African continent and its people. We fully support his decision and we shall back his candidature to our fullest capacity,” read the statement.
“From the onset, Mr. Odinga has played a crucial and selfless role in the democratisation of our nation. His sacrifices towards achieving socio-economic development, inclusivity, and stability of our Republic are well documented. He has always put Kenya first. These are qualities that we believe are needed for the next Chairperson of the AU Commission.”
“As we all know, Mr. Odinga has a long-standing history of commitment to Pan-Africanism. We believe that as the AU Chairperson, he will leverage his Pan-Africanism vision of identity and inclusivity, to achieve ‘an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena,’” noted the party in a statement released on Friday, February 16th, 2024.
The opposition boss on Thursday expressed his interest in the AU Commission leadership role saying he had a myriad of consultations with his friends prior to the decision.
“Should the leadership of Africa want my services I am ready and offer myself to be of service to this continent. I’m ready yes to go for the chairmanship of the African Union,” said Mr. Odinga during a press address then, flanked by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who backed his bid.
Azimio added:”We are aware that it is East Africa’s turn to head the AU Commission, and we do pray that the East African Community (EAC) will support this bid of one of their most illustrious sons.”
