•Wanjigi, who is eyeing the ODM presidential ticket, filed the petition through proxies.
•The complainant accused the party of failing to include the nomination of the flag bearer as one of the agendas to be discussed during the meeting.
Image: TWITTER/JIMI WANJIGI
Nine out of 15 ODM chairpersons behind businessman Jimi Wanjigi’s petition to block the National Delegates Convention have accused the tycoon of misrepresentation.
John Mworia Nchebere and the regional chairmen had moved to the Political Parties Tribunal to block the top party organ's meeting, claiming 1,230 bona fide delegates were not invited.
Wanjigi, who is eyeing the ODM presidential ticket, filed the petition through proxies.
The complainants accused the party of failing to include the nomination of the flag bearer as one of the agendas to be discussed during the meeting.
ODM had issued a two-day notice of a delegates meeting on February 25 and 26 at the Kasarani gymnasium in Nairobi.
“That unless this tribunal intervenes and grants the orders sought herein, the respondents will carry out an illegality that cannot be reversed and the applicants will suffer irreparable and severe prejudice, which cannot be compensated by damages,” Mworia said.
He named ODM chairman John Mbadi and secretary general Edwin Sifuna as respondents to the case.
However, nine regional chairpersons on Monday swore an affidavit distancing themselves from the petition.
Those who signed affidavit were Njagi Ngari, Hassan Duba, Jacob Mule, Nur Ali, James Njeru, Njagi Juma, Peter Kithua, Abdistar Mohamed Aga and Mohamud Ibrahim Maalim.
According to the documents seen by the Star, the chairmen say they did not authorise filing of the petition at the Political Parties Tribunal and demanded their names be struck out from the petition.
They termed the petition currently before PPT as fraudulent and an abuse of the tribunal and threatened to sue Mworia for using their data and details without their consent.
“I have never authorised or consented to the filing of any complaint or applications against the respondent on any issue, let alone the one herein,” read the affidavit by Jacob Mule.
“I, therefore, distance myself from the complaint herein and affirm the same is without merit and was otherwise filed in bad faith to serve a selfish political purpose unknown to me.”
Sifuna,in a signed affidavit,described the application as that which is meant to achieve collateral political objectives using court processes.
“The applicant wrote to my office on February 16, barely 24 hours later he moved to this tribunal and thereby denied the party opportunity to read his letter and internalise its concerns if any,” Sifuna said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris