- The elections boards asks members to report any officials claiming to have received direct tickets.
- There have been officials claiming that they have already secured direct tickets ahead of the 2022 polls.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA
The Orange Democratic Movement has fired a warning to party officials trying to use their influence to scare away their rivals from seeking the party’s tickets for next year’s general election.
The party’s national elections board on Friday said it will take action on officials claiming they have already secured direct nomination for the 2022 general election.
The claims by some of the national and local officials have triggered disaffection among party members, amid fears that any attempts to dish out tickets would puncture ODM’s 2022 prospects.
This is even as the Catherine Mumma-led national elections board, which has come under pressure from some 2022 aspirants to allay fears of impartiality, said the party has no preferred candidates.
“We wish to particularly warn the party officials from any attempts to use their positions for personal benefit in a bid to influence, intimidate and cajole opponents and would be aspirants, as these amounts to abuse of office,” Mumma said in a statement.
She went on, “All incoming and outgoing officials are reminded that as holders of party offices, they must serve all party members, including their competitors without bias.”
The NEB appealed to party members to report to the elections body evidence of officials using their positions to intimidate their opponents from seeking ODM nominations.
“We further urge our members to be vigilant and report any member or official engaging in this misinformation, as this is an electoral offence,” Mumma said.
The mode of picking 2022 aspirants has triggered heat in ODM with bigwigs clashing over various proposals on how to settle on various candidates who will fly the party flag on elective seats.
There is a lot of friction especially in the party strongholds, where those seen as being close to Raila are said to be alleging they will get direct tickets.
On October 16, ODM deputy party leader and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the party was considering handpicking popular candidates and then issue them with direct tickets.
“The party has agreed to change the system of conducting primaries. We will not subject all aspirants to nominations,” Oparanya said.
The governor spoke when he hosted 10 MCAs from Bungoma and party aspirants for various seats from West Pokot separately at Kakamega Golf Hotel.
ODM boss Raila Odinga’s wife Ida also waded into the nominations debate, asking the party to consider negotiated party nominations ahead of the 2022 polls.
Ida insisted that such a process would ensure that the party is united and that there is no violence that has always marred ODM primaries.
“Consensus is allowed in the ODM constitution, but if it fails, then competitive nomination is the route. All in all, campaigns should not be a matter of life and death, and in the event it’s prone to cause divisions, we should not hesitate to have dialogue and consensus among aspirants,” she said.
On Friday, NEB admitted that it was aware of some officials publicly claiming they have secured direct nominations for the 2022 elections and warned such allegations would not be taken kindly.
At the same time NEB announced that the ongoing process of harmonising the party officials and delegates lists across the country is about to come to an end.
“NEB is now receiving the final lists of delegates from the different counties and has embarked on the process of preparing the delegates register in readiness for the party’s National Delegates Convention,” NEB said.
The party is expected to hold a National Delegates Convention next month to formally endorse Raila as the party's presidential flagbearer.
-Edited by SKanyara