Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei has downplayed a letter drafted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), urging its 16 member states to back Madagascar's candidate Richard Randriamandrato in the upcoming elections for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship.
Speaking to Citizen TV on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinarily African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the PS explained that the letter was a request by the SADC Secretary General and is not a done deal that all member states will heed the plea.
He added that the letter was drafted for the bloc's foreign ministers as a last-ditch effort to sway votes in favor of Madagascar, rather than its two main rivals—Kenya's Raila Odinga and Djibouti's Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
"The letter is addressed to foreign ministers and introduces the candidate as if he is unknown. It then states that there is no time to hold a ministerial summit to endorse this decision.
This means the decision will not be ratified at the heads of state level. It is not an official endorsement of the Madagascar candidate. In the end, the letter simply requests the region to support their candidate.
We do not believe it will have any impact, as we have already received assurances of support from several SADC countries."
Korir, however, intimated that Raila's campaign team, including President William Ruto, has been wooing other African leaders in the SADC region to secure votes.
"The months of campaigning are now reduced to 24 hours... We have done what we could. The candidate in person has been to over 30 countries, engaging at the highest level possible. The president and the prime CS have been making calls since yesterday and holding strategic meetings," he added.