• ODM seems careful not to expose its candidate so early in the day – 15 months to the next general elections – and has opted to keep its card close to its chest.
• Sifuna clarified that only Governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) will battle it out for the ticket as they are the only ones who presented their papers for consideration.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Opposition chief Raila Odinga's ODM has resorted into playing mind-games with rivals in the party's 2022 presidential ticket battle.
The party's withdrawal of Raila's nomination papers for the presidential ticket is part of a cocktail of psychological manipulative moves on the table to confuse opponents.
There are also reports that the orange party's move was mean't to avoid any distractions from the Building Bridges Initiate course that could have proved costly.
A focus on the 2022 presidential battle could have reduced the BBI referendum momentum, subjecting Raila to a possible backlash in the event the process collapsed.
This means that ODM is trying to insulate Raila from any blame and consequential political baggage should the BBI referendum flop.
"If we were to proceed with our search for our 2022 presidential candidate, that would have contradicted the BBI focus," a senior ODM official clarified to the Star.
The official aware of the party's strategy but who sought anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter said ODM is being strategic and cautious.
"Raila wants to be committed to the BBI process so he is not blamed in case the process flops," he said.
Raila's rivals, including deputy President William Ruto, have been accusing the ODM boss and his allies of micromanaging the BBI process.
Other bigwigs coalescing around the One Kenya alliance of Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetangula and Gideon Moi have blamed ODM over attempts to sabotage BBI.
Fearing giving rivals political advantage, Raila's party on Friday announced that he did not submit nomination papers by close of deadline on Wednesday.
Curiously, this followed Raila's secret meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta who visited him at his Karen home on Wednesday night.
The meeting was aimed at calming jitters in Raila's camp over claims of betrayal and the collapse of the handshake.
Later Raila on Thursday joined Uhuru in a tour of the city, the first show of camaraderie after weeks of squabbling over the fate of BBI.
In a surprise statement on Friday, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said an earlier announcement by the Catherine Mumma chaired National Elections Board was an April 1 fools day prank.
“So, here is the position. Raila Odinga did not apply for the party’s ticket. His long-held position is that he will not discuss 2022 until after the BBI process is done,” Sifuna said.
Sifuna clarified that only Governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) submitted their nomination papers.
"These will be processed in the usual manner by the National Elections Board," he said.
Tellingly, the statement did not originate from the NEB, which had on Thursday revealed that Joho, Oparanya and Raila had applied for the presidential ticket.
"NEB shall scrutinise the three applications, vet the candidates as required by the ODM Elections and Nominations Rules and subsequent thereto announce the next process and the timetable in accordance with the ODM constitution," Mumma said in a statement on Thursday.
The party’s statements and counter-statements on the possibility of Raila making a fifth stab at the country’s top seat could be part of a scheme to keep options wide open.
Just on Thursday, moments after Mummaa released the statement on Raila, Joho and Oparanya applications, Sifuna took the country into a whirlwind on the nominations process.
Sifuna stated that the party had halted the process of identifying its presidential candidate to focus on BBI.
“After consultation with party leadership and the NEB, the party has resolved to postpone the remaining NEB processes on this matter to focus on the BBI process,” Sifuna said.
He added, “The NEB will therefore suspend the vetting and/or further processing of the applications until after conclusions of the BBI process.”
ODM seems careful not to expose its candidate so early in the day – 15 months to the next general elections – and has opted to keep its card close to its chest.
Raila, 76, has not publicly declared his interest in the presidency but his close allies have made it clear that he will be on the ballot.
“We want to be very categorical that ODM candidate for 2022 presidential race is Raila Odinga. Others can look for other things to do,” ODM branch chairman George Aladwa said during a rally in Kibera last month.
Ruto, Musalia , Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and former UNCTAD secretary-general Mukhisa Kuti have publicly declared their interest in the top seat.