Cord has defended its Joint Select Committee on IEBC members amid protests that the team shortchanged the party.
Party leader Raila Odinga said on Tuesday that it was a give-and-take scenario where they allowed the President to appoint new commissioners.
He said the constitution allowed the Head of State to make government appointments.
“Cord leaves it to Uhuru [Kenyatta] to decide if he wants to engage further the leadership of the opposition on names to be in the new IEBC,” he said.
“If he doesn’t, Cord wishes him luck as he does unilateral appointment of the seven persons,” he added.
He was speaking during a crisis meeting at Ufungamano Hall that brought together the committee members.
Raila urged Cord supporters not be worry about the final outcome as it has been “taken care of”.
Cord committee members believe that the President was given sweeping powers to appoint the commission.
Out of the 11 names forwarded by the select committee, Uhuru will have powers to pick seven as well as have additional powers to pick two directly
More on this: Uhuru to pick 7 IEBC chiefs from 11 names
Instead of conducting new voter registration exercise, the team agreed to an audit of the register.
Opponents argued that Siaya Senator James Orengo, who co-chaired the committee, ceded a lot of the ground for Jubilee Party to have an upper hand.
Bungoma Senator and Cord co-principal Moses Wetang’ula has said: “Cord is opposed to any amendment to the IEBC bill, even removing a coma, or adding a hashtag to it.”
But Orengo said the committee achieved its mission, since its first agenda was to remove IEBC officials from office, and this was realised.
“By the end of the month, we will have new commissioners and we are happy that our demands have been met,” he said.
