Sunday, February 12, 2012

Raila, Mudavadi fight for Coast ODM delegates



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By MARK AGUTU magutu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, February 11  2012 at  22:30
The battle for Coast delegates’ votes in the forthcoming Orange Democratic Movement presidential primaries went a notch higher on Saturday with Prime Minister Raila Odinga kicking off a three-day vote hunting mission in the region.
The Prime Minister begun his campaign with a joint rally for delegates from Lamu, Tana River and Kilifi at Barani in Malindi Town.
The visit by the PM comes a week after Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi made an extensive tour of the region during which he addressed delegates in Lamu and Mombasa, rallying them to support his bid for the ODM presidential ticket. (READ:I’m my own man, says Mudavadi)
The DPM had last month visited Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta where he similarly appealed to the delegates to back him for the top seat during the party’s nominations slated for next month.
On Saturday, it was the PM’s turn to talk to the delegates, and though he played down the looming showdown between him and his deputy, MPs, leaders and representatives of delegates who addressed the meeting threw their weight behind Mr Odinga.
Addressing the hundreds of delegates, the PM called for restraint in criticism against Mr Mudavadi, saying, it was his democratic right to vie and that competition was healthy for the party.
“I don’t want people to attack Musalia. He is one of our own and he has not done any wrong to seek the seat,” the PM said.
He added: “Musalia said he wanted the seat and so we decided that he goes one way to talk to the people as I go that way. Then we will sit together and talk. All we are doing is practising democracy in our party.”
He told those aspiring for leadership positions in the party to work together and be tolerant of each other irrespective of outcomes of party elections and nominations.
“In elections there must be a winner and a loser and it doesn’t mean the loser was weak. The winner must hold the hand of the loser because he still needs him. Winner takes all is not democracy,” he said.
Mr Odinga also said he does not need President Kibaki’s endorsement to clinch the presidency. Voters, he said, were the constituency whose “Raila Tosha” declaration he was pursuing.
The PM’s moderate approach in his speeches on the ODM contest contrasted with that of MPs and delegates who spoke before him insisting the he (Odinga) was the party’s flag bearer.
Fisheries minister Amason Kingi, who is also the Magarini MP, said the PM was not in the region to solicit for votes as he was their preference.
“You have them (votes). We will be with you in the nominations and main elections,” he said.
He challenged the delegates to openly declare who between Mr Mudavadi and Mr Odinga they preferred to be their party’s presidential candidate. In turn, the Lamu, Tana River and Kilifi delegates chorused: “Raila!”
Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima, who said he spoke on behalf of MPs and delegates from Mombasa County said:” We in Mombasa have endorsed Raila as presidential candidate and will work to ensure he wins.”
Besides Mwahima, other MPs in Mombasa county are Hassan Joho (Kisauni), Ramadhan Seif Kajembe (Changamwe) and Najib Balala (Mvita). Mr Balala, though an ODM MP, has not been actively involved in the party’s affairs.
The same sentiments were expressed by Msambweni MP Omar Zonga, who said that though the delegates in Kwale County appreciated Mr Mudavadi’s candidature and welcomed him to talk to them during his recent tour, they resolved to cast their lot with the PM.
“I want to tell you that after this, the delegates sat down and we decided that it is Raila Odinga they are voting for in 2012, 2017 and Mudavadi in 2023,” he said.
Mr Mung’aro said that ODM’s constitution was clear that nominations for the presidency be done by the party’s National Delegates Congress and any other alternative could only be considered in line with the dictates of the same constitution.
Sheikh Ali Shee, former commissioner of Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission said the battle between Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi was healthy and should be emulated.
Mombasa Catholic Archdiocese vicar-general Wilybard Lagho described the Odinga-Mudavadi battle for ODM ticket as “a new dawn” on Kenya’s political scene.
On Sunday, the PM will meet delegates in Kwale County before having a forum with those from Mombasa County at Wildwaters Centre on Monday.
Additional reporting by Mwakera Mwajefa

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