Oburu Odinga at a past function. He said he will not contest Siaya County governor's seat. PHOTO/FILE
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's brother Oburu has said he will not contest the Siaya County governor's seat.
“I
will not run for the governors’ seat despite pressure from my
supporters. The party should endorse the most suitable candidate for the
seat, I think that nomination will divide the county and deny it the
opportunity to develop,” said Dr Oburu
He urged the other leaders from Siaya County to support the direct nomination for the individual holding the seat as it will reduce rampant campaigns in the county.
“Election is not a profession but it is an event, so let us reduce the numbers of elections we conduct in our county and instead concentrate on developing our county,” he added.
Confusion has hit the leadership of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after the nullification of the Siaya governors’ seat by the High Court in Kisumu.
Some leaders are advocating for direct nomination of Mr Cornel Rasanga as the outright candidate while some are for a consensus. Another set of leaders are however rooting for party nominations.
Siaya Senator Mr James Orengo on the other hand advocates for consensus between all the parties that are affiliated to the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord).
“The seat belongs to Cord and therefore all the parties affiliated to Cord should be involved in determining the best candidate without eroding the relationship the parties enjoy,” Mr Orengo said.
Mr Orengo’s sentiments were echoed by Homa Bay Governor Mr Cyprian Awiti, who urged the Siaya leaders to embrace dialogue in order to reach a consensus in selecting the suitable candidate to represent the ODM party in the by-election.
“I urge Siaya leaders to come to a consensus and agree on the best candidate. If we reach a consensus, the county will be a test case of unity to the entire country,” he stated.
FAIR NOMINATION
A
third group comprised of 10 county representatives from the Siaya
county assembly led by Leonard Oriaro representing Central Alego Ward
and Neto Adhola a former aspirant for Rarieda constituency are
advocating for free and fair nomination exercise in order to show
democracy in the party.
“I am saddened by the way the party leaders conduct the nominations. This time the party leaders should not interfere with the results of the nominations but should let the direct winner be accorded the certificate without favouring any candidate,” he said.
Mr Neto on his part said that the tricks that are used by the leaders of the party are old-fashioned and it might cost them in their referendum debate.
“The tricks the leaders are using are outdated and they should stop this to promote democracy and loyalty within the party or else they risk losing some of their supporters, thus distracting ODM’s quest for winning in the referendum debate as the county residents will not support the party fully,” he said.
The leaders were speaking during a fund-raising ceremony at St John’s Nyalunya Church in Rarieda, Siaya County.
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