•The party is also keen on prevailing upon Deputy Governor William Kingi to back the candidate with a lead in nearly all the opinion polls under review.
•Five pollsters are being considered in the ongoing deliberations.
Image: FILE
ODM is mulling taking the consensus route in the raging Mombasa ODM nominations politics to avert chaos during the vote to select a governor candidate.
The party stalwarts held a meeting with the aspirants at Bomas of Kenya on Thursday, where among others, it was agreed that the candidate for the seat is selected through negotiations.
The choice, multiple sources that were at the meeting indicated, would be driven by opinion polls that the party had sanctioned at different times in the county.
In this regard, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir is tipped for the governor ticket, Mohamed Faki for Senator with Likoni MP Mishi Mboko also not likely to get direct nomination to defend her seat.
ODM is reportedly keen on talking Suleiman Shabal out of the nominations contest but the latter has maintained that the race is too close to call to warrant consensus.
The party is also keen on prevailing upon Deputy Governor William Kingi to back the candidate with a lead in nearly all the opinion polls under review.
Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi may also get a direct ticket to defend the seat. New entrants Mohammed Soud Machele is also tipped for a direct ticket for the Mvita MP seat.
ODM is reportedly still considering the best way to decide the Woman Representative race after the opinion polls sampled by the party showed contrasting results.
One poll showed the incumbent Asha Hussein leading while another showed that Mombasa residents preferred Zam Zam.
“The party decided option one was consensus with the aspirants. The other option would be the opinion polls,” a source at the meeting intimated to the Star.
Five pollsters are being considered in the ongoing deliberations which the party is expected to communicate to the public as soon as the process is complete.
There were indications the address would take place on Friday, citing the policy that allows the use of alternative means to select candidates in areas with challenges of universal suffrage.
“Anyone whose ratings were low was asked by the party to consider their chances in supporting those with a clear lead. The party said they wouldn’t hold nominations for MP, Senator, and Governor.”
Some aspirants dismissed the plan and questioned the authenticity of the opinion polls, concerns the party said can be addressed if another opinion poll would be viable.
“The party said it would conduct another poll and make a decision by today, to be communicated to the public or aspirants. We don’t know whether the decision is to allow consensus or subject us to the election,” a source privy to the deliberations added.
Fear of violence is rife in the Mombasa contest after two incidents – one before former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Supporters of the two frontrunners in the Mombasa Governor race clashed at an event to celebrate International Women’s Day, a week after they clashed at Tononoka Grounds during an Azimio rally.