‘Selfless And Committed Pan-Africanist’: Azimio Endorses Raila For AU Commission Top Job
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party has officially supported the recent announcement made by its leader Raila Odinga to officially enter the race for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
On Friday, the coalition released a statement expressing assurance and positivity about the suitability of the former Prime Minister for the position, thereby urging his thoughtful consideration.
The opposing party highlighted Mr. Odinga’s steadfast dedication to upholding the rule of law, promoting democracy, and advancing the overall well-being of the populace as the fundamental principles supporting his candidacy.
“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 democratization 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.”
Azimio called upon the continent to assess Mr. Odinga, highlighting him as a passionate statesman possessing the essential qualities to bridge the divide and propel Africa toward progress.
“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.
“We are confident that Mr. Odinga’s candidature for the position of AU Chairperson will garner overwhelming support from all comers of our continent. His broad appeal and international name recognition as a statesman, committed to Africa’s progress, makes him the right and best candidate for the job.”
While urging backing for the East African region, the group highlighted Mr. Odinga’s recent service as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development. They emphasized that this role allowed him to traverse the continent, gaining insights into the requirements of the people.
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“We believe that Mr. Odinga is eminently qualified for the job. Having been the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development, he has traversed the continent, interacted with her people, and understands their wants and needs,” added the statement.
“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.”
On Thursday, the leader of the opposition expressed his desire to take on the role of the AU Commission leadership. He mentioned that he had numerous discussions with his associates before reaching this 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.
He expressed his determination to address issues affecting the African youth noting that if he was to clinch the seat, he would transform the face of Africa and realign it to become an economic superpower.
“As a Pan-Afrcanist I believe strongly that Africa is playing in the league that it should not play. That Africa deserves better,” he noted.
“This is something we need to reverse and it can only be reversed if we as a continent marshal all our resources for the faster socio-economic growth of our continent.”
‘Selfless And Committed Pan-Africanist’: Azimio Endorses Raila For AU Commission Top Job