ISAAC WALE | NATION Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi is received by Western MPs and ODM delegates in Hamisi constituency in Vihiga county on February 17, 2012.
By PETER LEFTIE AND JOHN SHILITSA newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, February 17 2012 at 22:30
Posted Friday, February 17 2012 at 22:30
IN SUMMARY
- Deputy PM dismisses calls to back out of race and urges members to embrace internal democracy for party growth
Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi on Friday rejected calls by a section of Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s allies asking him to abandon the race for ODM presidential ticket.
Speaking to Nation, Mr Mudavadi warned the party against attempting to stifle internal democracy by asking him to step down.
He, however, denied knowledge of a meeting held at the Lillian Towers in Nairobi on Wednesday night during which a plot was hatched to prevail upon him to back out of the race in favour of Mr Odinga. (READ: Plot to force Mudavadi out of race)
“I was not aware of the meeting until very late when I was told that people were meeting to discuss party matters,” he said. “ODM is a party which cherishes democracy and has been at the forefront of championing for the entrenchment of democracy in the country. It should, therefore, not be seen to be the party stifling the same ideals it has been advocating.”
Save party from imminent split
He was supported by Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito and ODM elections board member Charles Welangai who asked the anti-Mudavadi forces to let delegates pick their preferred presidential candidate.
Speaking in Kakamega, Mr Kizito accused a section of ODM leadership of undermining Mr Mudavadi.
“The two are seeking the ODM presidential ticket and until the party’s delegates pick one of them as our flag-bearer, both deserve respect and support from all of us in ODM,” he said.
Mr Welangai said Mr Mudavadi was exercising his democratic right to gun for the party’s presidential ticket and should not be intimidated.
“A decision as to whether Musalia should vie or not will not be made in a boardroom forum, it lies with the party members,” he said. (READ: Mudavadi warns ODM on delegates)
Sources in the Wednesday night meeting attended by 18 members including nine Cabinet ministers, four assistant ministers and five MPs said the participants agreed that Mr Mudavadi’s withdrawal from the ODM presidential nominations race was the only way “to save the party from an imminent split”.
They resolved to summon both Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi to a meeting soon to ask the Local Government Minister to step down in favour of the PM. An assistant minister in the PM’s Office, Mr Alfred Khang’ati, and Kisauni MP Hassan Joho, confirmed the meeting took place at the venue, but declined to give details.
“What I can confirm is that a few of us held a meeting during which confidential matters affecting the party were discussed. These are matters confidential, which I cannot tell you,” he said.
Asked about the meeting, Mr Joho said: “It was a secret meeting. I do not want to be accused of letting out the party’s secrets.”
Among those who attended the two-and-half-hour meeting were Cabinet ministers William ole Ntimama, James Orengo, Dalmas Otieno, Paul Otuoma, Chris Obure, Joseph Nyaga, Musa Sirma and Franklin Bett.
Also in attendance were assistant ministers Sospeter Ojaamong, Mohammed Mahmoud, Ramadhan Kajembe, Alfred Khang’ati, Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim and MPs Alfred Sambu, Yusuf Chanzu, Ali Hassan Joho and Simeon Lesrima.
Sources quoted Mr Ntimama stressing the need to prevail upon Mr Mudavadi to stop his countrywide campaigns for the ticket, saying, they were portraying the party as divided and undermining its popularity.
A number of those present supported Mr Ntimama’s position and resolved to ask Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the Local Government minister backs the PM in the next General Election. In return, Mr Odinga would only go for one term and support Mr Mudavadi’s presidential bid come 2017, our source revealed.
The meeting is also said to have resolved to prevail upon the two contenders for the party’s presidential ticket to stop holding separate meet-the-delegates tours across the country as they were splitting the party.
Mr Mudavadi denied claims that he was the one advancing calls for the primaries to be held at the county level. He said that he was only supporting a position already approved by two of the party’s decision making organs, the National Executive Council and the Parliamentary Group.
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