NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 20 – Fallouts within the Azimio One Kenya are simmering over the control of Nairobi county.
This is after the consensus talks to push Orange Democratic Movement gubernatorial candidate Tim Wanyonyi to shelve his ambitions in favour of Jubilee’s favourite Polycarp Igathe failed.
Wanyonyi said he is still determined to go to the August 9 ballot and has urged the ODM party to hand him the ticket since he is the sole candidate.
So irked are the Mulembe leaders where Wanyonyi hails from that they have now issued irreducible minimums to the Azimio Presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
In a statement read by Westland’s parliamentary aspirants on ODM ticket Philip Kisia, the leaders are calling for the ODM gubernatorial ticket to be issued to Wanyonyi and the Senatorial one delivered to Edwin Sifuna by the end of Wednesday.
“All candidates who are not contesting with anyone should be given a direct ticket by close of business today,” Kisia stated.
The leaders said they are confident Wanyonyi will win because of the support he wll get from the 2.6 million members of the luhya community in Nairobi.
“For 50 years we have supported other communities. The 2022 General election will be no different. We refused to be used as a ladder and looked down upon,” said Kisia.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna absolved ODM party from the claims that it has deliberately denied Wanyonyi the gubernatorial ticket.
Sifuna stated that forces within affiliate parties in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance have interfered on the matter.
“I want to assure you that ODM has no hand in the delay of issuance of ODM ticket. Our friends in Azimio-One Kenya asked us to hold onto the ticket as consensus talks are ongoing,” stated Sifuna.
The Nairobi Senatorial aspirant insists that they will not allow political rejects to shape the Nairobi gubernatorial race.
“We want to be respected within Azimio One Kenya, we will not allow candidates to be forced on us. Don’t force on us someone who will be defeated,” Sifuna stated in an apparent reference to Jubilee aspirant Polycarp Igathe.
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