President William Ruto’s remarks after Raila Odinga failed to clinch the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship seat have rubbed Djibouti the wrong way.
In the elections held on Saturday, February 15, Raila lost to Djibouti’s Mahmoud Youssouf after seven rounds of secret voting by African heads of state in Ethiopia.
Speaking after Raila’s loss, President Ruto said Africa missed the opportunity to be served by the finest, insisting the former premier was the best man for the job.
“I regret that Africa missed the opportunity to be served by the finest. Baba made me very proud. He was the best candidate we could have put forward. I’m very proud of Raila. He did his best, and regardless of the outcome, he made us proud. Whenever he was needed, he showed up,” Ruto stated.However, Djibouti rebuked President Ruto over his utterances, accusing him of being dishonest.
Taking to X, Ambassador Moussa Mohamed Omar, a communication expert at Djibouti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation insisted that African leaders made the right decision in electing Mahmoud.
“In response to President Ruto claiming Africa ‘lost an opportunity’ is dishonest. 33 heads of state chose Mahmoud, the right choice for Africa's challenges, refusing to let the AU be hostage to Kenyan domestic politics. Africa deserved better than Raila,” Omar stated.
