Raila Odinga only has 9 days left before the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship elections.
The vote is set for February 15 and 16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
And Raila Odinga has already secured backing from at least 28 heads of state.
He is facing stiff competition from Djibouti’s foreign minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
To win, he needs at least 33 votes from the 49 voting heads of state. His campaign has taken him across Africa, gaining support from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Seychelles.
In Southern Africa, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa, and Angola have backed him.
In West Africa, he has support from Togo, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Is Egypt Supporting Raila Odinga?
However, Raila faced a setback when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi endorsed Djibouti’s candidate.
This came after Kenyan President William Ruto visited Egypt to seek support for Raila’s bid. The endorsement of Youssouf has added uncertainty to the race.
Despite this, Raila remains optimistic. He only needs five more votes to secure victory in the first round. His campaign team, led by former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Elkanah Odembo and Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei, is working hard to lock in the final votes before the election.
By Vivian K.