Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir has said his close relationship with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and ODM party leader Raila Odinga has nothing to do with endorsement.
The MP said he is his own man and has worked hard to deliver on the pledges he made to the electorate for the last nine years.
On Monday, Nassir admitted that he will ask for Raila’s blessings.
“Even the boss, his vote is for Lang’ata not here. But I will ask for his blessings as an elder and a father to me,” he told the Star at Liwatoni.
Nassir, businessman Suleiman Shahbal and Mombasa deputy governor William Kingi are all fighting for the ODM ticket to succeed Joho, whose second and last term ends in August 2022.
The MP is working to shed the ‘endorsement-seeker’ tag that supporters of his main rival Shahbal have branded him.
The tag follows Raila’s tactful manoeuvre on July 3 at Treasury Square in Mombasa where ODM party members put pressure on the former Prime Minister to publicly endorse Nassir, who had hosted him.
Party loyalists had expected Raila to publicly endorse Nassir to succeed Joho.
However, the ODM leader dodged the matter putting the ball in the court of the Mombasa voters.
“The governorship decision is yours. You will decide who will become governor,” Raila told the cheering crowd.
The next day, Shahbal thanked Raila for his stand and rolled his sleeves ready for a political battle.
The two aspirants have since intensified their political activities in a bid to sell their policies.
Shahbal has rolled out a grassroots programme in which he seeks to visit all the 30 wards in the county collecting views from the residents on what they want to be done for them.
The programme, dubbed ‘Gumzo na Shahbal’, has seen him visit Airport ward in Changamwe and Bangladesh in Mikindani ward.
In Bangladesh, a strong ODM base, Shahbal will have to work extra hard to turn the tide on Nassir, according to political analyst Mwakuja Mrombo.
“Bangladesh is a slum made up of mostly members of the Luo community who are ardent ODM supporters,” Mrombo said.
“They are appreciative of Nassir’s loyalty to the party. They value loyalty and Nassir’s father Shariff Nassir’s deeds to them when he was alive. That is why there were problems when Shahbal visited,” he said.
Nassir has been banking on his loyalty to the party to get Raila’s blessings. Shahbal on the other hand banks on his friendship with the party leader and his financial muscle, which will help the party in the 2022 elections, which political observers say will be the most expensive yet.
On Monday, Nassir reiterated his stance that loyalty is expensive and cannot be found with cheap people.
It is one of the principles of politics and political parties, he said.
“I believe in loyalty. To be loyal to the party is to be loyal to the people that elected you on that party,” Nassir said.
His closeness to Joho is born out of their decades-long friendship.
“He has been a brother and friend even before we joined politics,” the MP noted.
He said the two have agreed on some things and differed on others, but that does not mean there are any issues between them.
Nassir said he will vote for him in the presidential elections should he clinch the ticket to fly the ODM flag in next year’s general election.
Joho and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya have declared interest in flying the ODM flag in the 2022 presidential elections.
Despite not having declared interest, Raila is widely expected to be the party’s presidential candidate, with party loyalists Joho and Oparanya’s bid viewed as formalities.
Nassir said he is confident of Joho’s vote, which he said he is keener on than his endorsement.
“My main work is to ask for his vote and not his endorsement,” said the Mvita MP.
He said he will sell his policies to voters, who will then decide if they will be interested in them or not, adding that he has what it takes to take over from Joho.
Nassir said he is not bothered by any opponent seeking the ODM ticket.
“We don’t discuss individuals. We discuss ideologies,” he added.
The lawmaker said he believes his work for the last nine years is enough to show Mombasa residents what he can do for the county, with more funds.
Both Nassir and Shahbal have been seen taking photos with Raila whenever he comes to Mombasa and then posting them on social media.
Nassir said he has hosted Raila in Mvita many times before and will host him many times to come. “If that made people mad, I will do things to make them faint,” he said.
-Edited by SKanyara
