Raila: ‘Am not frustrating Mudavadi's ODM bid’

Written By:Kenndey Obadiah,    Posted: Fri, Apr 13, 2012

The PM said any amendment to the party's constitution must be done according to the law and that the Political Parties Act is clear on this procedure The Raila Odinga for president secretariat has moved to deny claims that the prime minister is frustrating Musalia Mudavadi's presidential bid. Through a statement, the secretariat says the party's move to comply with the political of parties Act should not be misconstrued as a plot to deny anyone their democratic space and maintains that the prime minister has been supportive of a democratic process and would encourage competition in political positions. "Quite to the contrary, the Prime Minister is a democrat who recognizes everyone's right to exercise and enjoy his or her democratic rights and freedoms as laid out by the law. To this end, Hon. Mudavadi is quite in order to seek to be the ODM Presidential flag bearer." "To accommodate Hon. Mudavadi's Presidential ambitions, the Prime Minister has been supportive of the thought that the party's Constitution and election regulations can be varied, to make room for a broad based nomination exercise for the Presidential flagship. This would open up space not just for Hon. Mudavadi to compete for this ticket, but for any other qualified party member, too." The statement read. After the party sought the party's full registration from the registrar of political parties, without amending its constitution to provide for a competitive nomination of its leader, Musalia's camp alluded that the pro-Raila faction was engaging in underhand deals to eliminate him from the race for ODM's presidential ticket in order to make Raila an automatic candidate. Raila for president secretariat begs to differ from this opinion saying the premier fully supports democracy in the party and that the move to seek full registration, was to beat the April 30th deadline to comply with the PPA. Separately, ODM secretary general Anyang' Nyong'o says there wasn't enough time to change the party's constitution and beat the deadline for compliance with the political parties act. Nyong'o says it would have required a 21 day notice to hold a National Delegates Conference to amend the party's constitution to provide for competitive presidential nomination which would have only been possible in May yet the deadline for compliance with the political parties act was set as April 30th. Nyong'o and Raila's secretariat now claim there are forces within ODM whose agenda is to rock the party from within and is urging members to ignore such forces and build the party. Meanwhile ODM youth from western province have accused Mudavadi of working with external forces to destroy ODM. They want Mudavadi to quit the party instead of fighting it from within.