ODM extends aspirants' deadline

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ODM's National Elections Board secretary Joseph Misoi. ODM has extended the deadline for submitting applications by aspirants seeking to contest the next General Election on the party's ticket August 9, 2012. FILE 

By AGGREY MUTAMBO amutambo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, August 9  2012 at  15:10

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has extended the deadline for submitting applications by aspirants seeking to contest the next General Election on the party's ticket.

On Thursday, the Party’s National Elections Board (NEB) announced it had moved the last day for such submissions to August 17 to accommodate the “huge number of applicants who might otherwise be left out.”

“So far the response has been enormous. We have received over 6,000 application letters and the applicants are from all over the country and even from Kenyans living abroad,” said NEB Secretary John Misoi.

“However, there are thousands of other party members who could not beat the deadline due to various reasons and requested for an extension to enable them send in their expressions of interest.”

ODM said it would add one more week to the period allowed for the applications so that all parts of the country are represented.

In June, ODM invited submissions from members intending to vie for various seats in the next elections. NEB announced it would give one and half months for interested applicants to send in their requests. The deadline fell on Wednesday this week.

Dr Misoi said the Board met on the last day of submissions and considered to extend it for the benefit of the party’s regional officials who were yet to deliver applications they received.

“In order to ease any logistical problems in delivering letters of expression, the board has authorised all ODM county election coordinators to collect and dispatch the same to Orange House by the deadline.”

The Board, despite extending the deadline, could not state if there were those who had expressed interest in vying for presidency on an ODM ticket.

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But the Orange party has been dogged with massive exodus of erstwhile party bigwigs.

Those who have left the party include Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Mvita legislator Najib Balala and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi who cited a lack of internal democracy.

On Thursday, Dr Misoi told reporters at Orange House that the party has now moved away from “systems that are prone to abuse” and was ready to accept all kinds of applicants.

“We would also appeal to all other Kenyans who want to vie for elective seats in the General Election and are not decided on which ticket to vie on, to join ODM which is the government in waiting.

“This appeal also applies to those who had left the party and want to come back,” he said.