• Midiwo said Orengo was not ready to lead ODM to victory.
• But his successor Elisha Odhiambo says he (Midiwo) deserted the party to run for Gem independently.
Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo has criticised his predecessor Jakoyo Midiwo for claiming Siaya Senator James Orengo does not mean well for ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Midiwo blamed Orengo during a TV show last week for ODM candidate Chris Karan’s loss in the Ugenya parliamentary by-election last week.
Odhiambo claims Midiwo is the man who has been backstabbing and betraying the ODM leader.
“Jakoyo is the one who stabs Raila in the back. He betrayed him in the last elections by being an insider of Jubilee and deciding to run as an independent candidate after losing in ODM primaries,” Odhiambo said.
Odhiambo, who beat Midiwo – Raila's cousin – in the primaries, claimed that he (Midiwo) abused Raila’s elder brother Oburu in the run-up to the August 8, 2017, General Elections.
“So who is a betrayer between Orengo and Jakoyo? I want to ask Jakoyo to concentrate on his studies because I understand he is studying disaster management at USIU,” he said.
During the TV show, Midiwo claimed Orengo, who led ODM campaigns in the March 5 by-election in Ugenya, was not prepared to lead the troop in winning the seat.
“It is easier to fix wrong things than to invent new things. These people who are basically sycophants must leave Raila alone because they don't mean well for him,” Midiwo said.
He added, “For example if Orengo is a good man, how is it that he gave ODM 61 votes in his polling station and Ochieng' who is an independent party candidate managed 204, you can't go on TV and say he is a good man."
But Odhiambo asked his predecessor to keep off ODM affairs, saying he already ditched the party when he contested the Gem MP seat as an independent candidate.
“Why is he still commenting or interested in ODM affairs? He ditched the party because he was not ready to accept defeat,” Odhiambo said.
In the by-election, Karan garnered 14,507 votes, losing to David Ochieng of the Movement for Democracy and Growth party who got 18, 730 votes.
Edited by R.Wamochie