TNA presidential aspirant Uhuru Kenyatta, URP William Ruto are feted by Narc Charity Ngilu during a rally of Jubilee Coalition in Kitui yesterday Photo/Lawrence Maingi/DPMPS
URP William Ruto,TNA presidential aspirant Uhuru Kenyatta with Narc Charity Ngilu during a rally of Jubilee Coalition in Kitui yesterday Photo Lawrence Maingi/DPMPS
Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi was last night under great pressure to ditch the Jubille alliance and go it alone.
MPs allied to Mudavadi and his close advisors are reported to have told Mudavadi that it was increasing becoming obvious that Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and his TNA Party were determined to go to Kasarani and "hand Mudavadi a resounding defeat" during the nominations which were scheduled to be held today and which have now been pushed to a later date.
Mudavadi met with several MPs and close advisors on Sunday night and again yesterday morning. During the meetings, the MPs asked him to leave the alliance which seemed intent on sidelining him.
It was after these consultations that Mudavadi decided to skip the Jubuilee rally held in Kitui where the Kitui central MP Chairty Ngilu and Narc party leader officially joined the alliance and was told she could also present herself for presidential nomination.
The UDF political council and its legal advisors also met at the party’s Lavington offices to consider the options available to Mudavadi. They concluded that withdrawing from the coalition was the most prudent measure that he can take.
A close Mudavadi ally, Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu said the option to withdraw was one of several that were considered. He said that unless Mudavadi was nominated as the presidential candidate, it was better for him and UDF to go it alone in the March 4 poll.
“That is the option. We were going to approach the elections alone even before Uhuru and Ruto came to us. But when they went to look for Mudavadi it was agreed he was to be the presidential candidate. It is only credible that he becomes the presidential candidate,” Chanzu said as UDF political council held its meeting.
Mudavadi's party also demanded that TNA's Uhuru Kenyatta honours the informal pact they made in which the latter promised to drop his bid if Mudavadi joined the TNA-URP coalition.
They said they would make public the December 4 pre-poll agreement which Uhuru and Ruto signed with Mudavadi during which they announced that the Coalition would hold its nomination within 14 days.
"It is good for the public to know that it was not Hon Musalia Mudavadi who went to look for these people (Uhuru and Ruto). It was the other way round. It would be safe for the public to know what was agreed,” Chanzu said yesterday.
Last evening, TNA allied MPs who held a meeting at Jacaranda hotel said 'divorce' was inevitable. They alleged that Mudavadi was 'dishonest and wanted the Jubilee presidential nominee ticket handed to him on a silver platter."
The situation seems to have been further complicated with reports that Mudavadi had privately and separately entered a deal with retired President Daniel Moi to name former Baringo central MP Gideon Moi as his running mate if he got the Jubilee ticket.
This deal is apparently contained in a coalition agreement signed between UDF and Kanu before Mudavadi joined the Uhuru-Ruto team at the last minute. Allegedly because of this deal, Kanu has been gaining ground in Baringo and Pokot areas which has irked Ruto's URP .
Speaking in Kitui, Uhuru told Mudavadi not to fear competition and instead allow delegates to pick the candidate. "Let us a gree to compete and allow the people to decide whom they want," he said.
Mvita MP Najiba Balala told Mudavadi to allow competition and not expect 'boardroom deals." During a breakfast meeting held at Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s home, Mudavadi is said to have demanded that the nomination convention be pushed to a later date.
He also asked that if the nomination was by consensus, then the URP should abstain from participating in the voting. However, Ruto and Uhuru remained adamant that the alliance's choice of presidential candidate should be decided by the delegates.
URP spokesman and Dujis MP Aden Duale said the three principals had already agreed on the mode of nomination which will be done by the delegates on December 24.
"We have notified the registrar and the principals will use the time till then to seek the mandate of their parties,” Duale said.
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