• The businessman, who is making a third attempt in the Mombasa governor race, has on numerous occasions said he was forced out of ODM in 2013 in favour of Joho.
• “I was duped in 2013, but I want to categorically say that Shahbal of 2013 is not the Shahbal of 2022,” he said.
Image: LABAN WALLOGA
Mombasa businessman Suleiman Shahbal is wary of upcoming ODM nominations in the region and is calling for transparency.
Shahbal’s camp, which includes; Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi, former Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba and Likoni MP aspirant Bernard Waore say that they might be denied the ODM tickets.
Shahbal said he will lead his team to ODM National Election Board in Nairobi to present a memorandum, demanding for fair, transparent and credible primaries.
The mombasa gubernatorial aspirant spoke on Friday during a meeting with over 200 MCA aspirants at Tononoka.
“We want to be fully involved in the planning for the primaries because we do not want what happened in 2013 to be repeated,” he said.
The businessman, who is making a third attempt in the Mombasa governor race, has on numerous occasions said he was forced out of ODM in 2013 in favour of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
He decamped and ran on a Wiper ticket and lost to Joho.
In 2017, Shahbal ran on a Jubilee Party ticket, but still lost to Joho for a second time.
Last year, Shahbal returned to ODM from Jubilee and is now battling with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir for the ODM ticket in the governor's race.
“I was duped in 2013, but I want to categorically say that Shahbal of 2013 is not the Shahbal of 2022,” he said.
Shahbal said he will not allow ODM nominations to be controlled or rigged in favour of any individual.
“There must be free and fair nominations in Mombasa, we will not allow someone to play with our lives and neither will we allow them to play with the people’s votes,” he said.
The aspirant said for ODM to remain intact after the primaries, there must be a fair nomination process.
“The person in charge of the primaries must be someone we all know and have accepted. We have to be part of the entire process from preparations, voting, tallying and verification of the results for us to accept the outcome,” he said.
Waore, who is seeking to unseat the incumbent Mishi Mboko in Likoni said he has lost confidence with the ODM Mombasa office.
He said the current ODM Mombasa branch chairman Mohammed Khamis should not be the county returning officer in the primaries.
“He can continue serving as the ODM Mombasa branch chairman, but we don’t trust him to handle the nomination process fairly,” Waore said.
Bedzimba said they want total inclusion in the primaries.
“We are not against any individual in the Mombasa office, all we are calling for is a free and fair nomination exercise,” he said.
However, Khamis has dismissed claims that he will be involved in the nomination exercise, saying that is the duty of the party’s National Election Board.
He said that NEB had already announced that it will go round the country engaging all aspirants.
“I do not have the mandate to conduct the party nominations. That is clearly outlined in our party constitution. Therefore, they should not be worried because I will not be the county returning officer,” Khamis said.
The chairman further said his office is open to anyone feeling aggrieved.
“If any person has any concerns, they are free to come. We have not locked the door for anyone,” he said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)