The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) delivered a bombshell in the early hours of this Saturday, 6th January 2024 when they announced the invalidation of over 80 elected National and Local candidates in the recently concluded 2023 General Elections.
The statement by CENI has left more doubt about the legitimacy of Fèlix Tshisekedi’s re-election after CENI invalidated as many as 12 of his close UDPS party candidates that included his own appointed Ministers as well Governors.
Tshisekedi’s henchmen including acting Minister of Tourism Didier Manzenga, Kinshasa Governor Gentiny Ngobila as well as Minister Delegate of the President of the Republic Nana Manuanina Kihimba have all had their elections invalidated for electoral fraud.
Minister of Vocational Training and Trades Antoinette Kipulu Kabenga is another on the list of candidates found guilty of cheating or malpractice in the polls.
These candidates have been found guilty of electoral malpractice for having being in illegal possession of electronic voting devices while others assaulted voters and CENI agents in order to stuff the ballot boxes.
Several electoral observers who had sounded the alarm abot these irregularities which characterized the elections, have indicated that the 82 invalidations was a minority figure compared to the cases of fraud observed across the country.
The observers have since advised CENI to dig deeper and ensure all perpetrators of electoral malpractice are invalidated and sanctioned accordingly in order to give the electoral process credibility.
