Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji testifies he won election fairly

0
Garissa County Senator Mohamed Yusuf Haji has testified that he won the August 2017 elections fairly.
Testifying before Justice Rose Ougo, Haji accused the petitioners challenging his election for  falsely misleading the court that they were candidates in the election.
“The petitioners claims that they were senatorial candidates in the August 8, 2017 General election are untrue,” the senator said.
The senator said there were  only seven candidates who did not include the petitioners.

While  being re-examined by his  lawyer Protus Saende, Haji said the petitioners were neither party nominated  candidates nor  Independent candidates.

“None of the other six candidates who contested for the  senatorial seat filed any petition and the six had agents on the  ground who can be called  to state who the candidates were in the election,” he added.

He said the petitioners did not  obtain authorization or consent for  them  to file the petition in representative  capacity on behave of the other six candidates.

The  Senator  said that a person who is not  candidate can not lodge a competent election petition to  challenge the outcome of the election.

The judge also allowed the petitioners application for scrutiny and recount of votes for the senatorial election, which had earlier been dismissed.
Through their lawyer, the petitioners wanted the order to be reinstated and heard on merit.
The first petitioner Abdikadir Farah mohamed who has been unable to attend court had swore an affidavit for the order of scrutiny.

The Senator was testifying in the petition where three petitioners, Hussein Issa Abdi, Abdikadir Farah Mohamed and Mohamed Aden Abdi, challenged his victory saying it was marred with irregularities and violence.

The  court heard that  there was no campaigning by his agents during the voting day, saying the law  does not provide any display of pictures or placards when the election is taking place.