IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba has taken a three-week leave six days to the presidential elections.
According to Daily Nation, sources close to IEBC said that Mr. Chiloba took a “personal decision to be away in order to build confidence in stakeholders” who had demanded that commission officials resign.
This follows IEBC’s chairman demand that all commissioners named “adversely’’ following the nullification of presidential election step aside. Mr. Chebukati had said he’d not guarantee a credible election with the officials still in office.
In its ruling, The Supreme Court had said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by any of the electoral commission officials, but that did not keep politicians from demanding that some of the officials resign or step aside during the repeat election.
Nasa flagbearer Raila Odinga and his supporters have been demonstrating demanding the resignation of IEBC commissioners, particularly the CEO Mr. Ezra Chiloba.
The decision for Chiloba to be away during the elections was reached after a discussion with the chairman, and Chiloba said he believed that the commission would still conduct free and fair elections even in his absence.
Following Dr. Roselyn Akombe’s resignation, details are now emerging that the commission chairman Mr. Chebukati and Dr. Roselyn Akombe wanted the staff and the commissioner named to vacate, but there was a division with those against it demanding that the right procedures be followed.