AUC election: PS Sing'Oei says Raila confident even as SADC asks members to support Madagascar

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 to the bloc's foreign ministers in a last-ditch effort to tilt the votes in Madagascar's favour as opposed to his two main rivals; Kenya's Raila Odinga and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti. 

"If you look at the letter, it's written by the SADC Secretary General, a bureaucrat. The letter is dated February 12, merely five days before the elections," he said. 

"The letter is addressed to foreign Ministers, it introduces the candidate as if nobody knows him. It then says we don't have time to hold a ministerial summit to endorse this decision."

"This means that the decision will not be endorsed at the heads of state level. It's not a letter that endorses the Madagascar candidate. In the end, the letter asks the region to support their candidate... We do not think it will have any bearing. We already have quite some assurances from a number of SADC countries of their support."

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. 

The PS called for reforms within the African Union to iron out certain challenges such as Madagascar representing the Eastern and Southern regions. 

"This is the turn of a member of the Eastern region to be elected. Madagascar straddles both the Eastern and Southern regions,"  he pointed out. 

From a technical standpoint, Madagascar should not be on the ballot in regards to the Eastern region because if it was the turn of the Southern region, they could still contest."

The upcoming high-stakes elections are set for Saturday, February 15.