There was drama in Migori on Tuesday when youths reportedly sent by Governor Okoth Obado tried to lead Raila Odinga to the launch of an office built by the county boss.
Obado donated the new office and land to ODM but party officials in the county refused to accept it saying they will work from the county stadium offices.
ODM national chairman John Mbadi saying it does not mean Obado will be favoured in the primaries.
Raila was in the area to meet Kuria community elders. The drama began when
Obado and aspirants Ochillo Ayacko and Anne Omodho joined his entourage from Awendo town to Masaba center in Kuria West constituency.
When the entourage got to Number area, the youths tried to redirect it to the launch of the office Obado built, before Raila could address his last rally in Masaba.
Crowds earlier booed the Governor when he tried to speak
at Awendo town and Migori town bus park. The crowd at the latter location forced Obado to hand the microphone over to Raila.
But
Ayacko and Omodho were warmly welcomed, reportedly as a result of their sufficient ground mobilisation.
There has been tension among Obado, fellow aspirants and local ODM officials over the new office.
“Obado has been sidestepping local ODM officials after defecting from PDP. We feel the new office will be used as his personal re-election vehicle and not for party affairs,” a senior county party official told the Star anonymously.
The Governor later told his supporters at the office:
"We might not have
opened the office today but we will plan again for it to be opened with blessings from Raila."
The Cord leader
called for fresh voter registration to capture biometrics including fingerprints and eye data, to stop cases of ghost and repeat voters.
Also present were MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Jared Kopiyo (Awendo), John Kobado (Uriri), Dennitah Ghati (Migori) and Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay County woman representative).