Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mudavadi rejects ODM county polls



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DEPUTY Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi will not accept any proposal for nomination of ODM presidential candidate that is not cost-effective or does not allow broad participation by the party members. Mudavadi yesterday said that though he welcomes any proposal for nominating the party flag bearer, the process must be debated on the merits and allow freedom of choice within the party. The process must not be too costly to the party and its members.
The Local Government minister said the 60 delegates he is proposing to form a collegiate at each of the 47 counties is both time saving and more cost-effective than the National Delegates Conference. Mudavadi was responding to reports that the party is reviewing its nomination rules ahead of the party presidential candidate nomination. Party leader Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced in Kakamega last Friday that the party's nomination rules are being reviewed by a special committee and asked the members to be patient. He did not however disclose the likely changes.
But multiple sources close to Raila indicated the review would involve recommendation for presidential nominations at the county through a popular vote and not by delegates as proposed by Mudavadi. “This is informed by the belief that the PM enjoys a lot of support across the 47 counties,” the sources said after an ODM delegates meeting in Kakamega addressed by Raila. “If there is such a proposal, it should be taken in good faith without hidden motives,” Mudavadi said yesterday.
He said the idea of using universal suffrage for party nominations must be meet all requirements of the Political Parties Act and the Elections Act. “For instance, you will then need to have members' registers that are duly verified and certified by the Registrar of Political Parties and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to be used in the exercise,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi has proposed that the party forms an electoral college comprising 20 mainstream delegates, 20 youth and 20 women's representatives in every county for the nominations. Kakamega ODM youth league chairman Alex Khamasi backed the proposal by Mudavadi saying political parties must change with the times to reflect the democratic space under the new constitution.
Khamasi said delegates suffer when they have to travel to Nairobi for such nominations which are very costly for the party even though it is perceived to be the richest in Kenya. The debate on the mode of ODM presidential nominations has been running for weeks with Mudavadi and his backers insisting on electoral colleges at the county level.
However, the Raila camp wants the nominations through the traditional National Delegates Conference. Raila and Mudavadi are both crisscrossing the country meeting delegates to campaign for the torchbearer's slot. Mudavadi's campaign for the ODM ticket has generated friction with some of Raila's close allies including party chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo, Finance assistant minister Oburu Odinga, Heritage minister William ole Ntimama and Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno urging Mudavadi to 'go slow' in his campaigns.
Yesterday Mudavadi said he is his own man and dismissed as "political gossip" suggestions that he is campaigning at the behest of the G7 group which includes Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa.
Mudavadi said his campaigns are anchored in internal party democracy and vowed to remain in the party and support the PM if he beats him fairly. He asked Raila to reciprocate if he gets the party's nomination. Mudavadi's campaigns have altered the political landscape in Western province with MPs from other parties promising to join the ODM and back his candidacy if the party nominates him.

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