By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, March 29 2012 at 22:00
Posted Thursday, March 29 2012 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- NEC to discuss law barring members from challenging party leader over presidential ticket
A controversial clause that bars any member of the Orange Democratic Movement from challenging party leader Raila Odinga for the presidential ticket will be top on the agenda at a NEC meeting next week.
ODM executive director Janet Ong’era said that the party’s National Executive Committee would meet on April 4 at Orange House in Nairobi.
A similar meeting aborted last month after top party officials disagreed on whether the clause ought to amended.
The meeting also failed to strike consensus on a set of election rules proposed by a team of lawyers headed by Mr Milton Mugambi Imanyara.
This was after Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi and another party official, Mr Charles Werangai, insisted that ODM embraces internal democracy or risk disintegrating.
They also rejected a proposal by Regional Development minister Fred Gumo that Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi hold joint rallies to demonstrate a united front.
Addressing the press after the meeting while sandwiched between Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi, party secretary-general Anyang’ Nyong’o said discussions on the election rules had been deferred to a later date.
Mr Mudavadi’s supporters have demanded that the clause be amended or deleted to enable him to pursue his presidential ambitions within the party.
Last week, one of the party’s four national vice- chairpersons Margaret Wanjiru stirred a storm after she declared that the clause would not be amended.
On Thursday, Mr Mudavadi, through spokesman Kibisu Kabatesi, warned of a plot by the Prime Minister’s camp to order repeat elections in 15 counties perceived to support the Local Government minister.
He claimed that Mr Odinga had held a meeting with the party’s elections board on Tuesday and directed that it orders repeat polls in the counties.
But board secretary Joseph Misoi denied the meeting took place.
“I am not aware of such a meeting, it is simply not true,” he stated.
Samburu ODM chairman Simeon Lesrima recently alleged that officials at the party headquarters were replacing the names of elected officials with their cronies and warned that this would hurt the party.
He spoke when the county’s delegates met Mr Mudavadi.
The NEC meeting will be preceded by Mr Mudavadi’s tour of Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya and Kisumu counties starting Friday morning.
Meanwhile, members of the Orange Networking Group on Thursday demanded that Prof Nyong’o immediately issues a notice for the party’s national elections to enable members to usher in new office bearers.
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