Migori governor Okoth Obado has said he will not support his ODM party’s choice for Ochillo Ayacko as senate candidate in the coming by-election.
Obado said he will throw his weight behind former Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno who will vie as an independent candidate.
“Despite having the ODM ticket the same leaders who have been claiming I am against the party and my leader Raila Odinga openly campaigned against me in the last general elections, no finger was raised against them. I won’t be intimidated,” Obado said.
The Migori seat fell vacant after the June 19 death of Senator Ben Oluoch due to throat cancer.
On Friday, ODM party handed Ayacko a direct party ticket for the October 8 by-elections out of eight other candidates.
The decision came just hours after Ayacko’s election petition at Kisumu Court of Appeal against Obado’s win was thrown out with Sh4.5m costs on him.
During the August 8 elections Obado with the ODM ticket retained his seat against Ayacko who vied as an independent candidate.
On Friday and Saturday, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi in several functions in Suna East and Suna West warned against going against the party decision.
Accompanied by several county and national ODM leaders, the two without calling Obado directly said any ODM elected leader and official in Migori county who will not support Ayacko will face party disciplinary.
“Anybody else can oppose Ayacko, but if you are a member of ODM regardless of the position you hold, your stature in life we shall not hesitate to take disciplinary action and you will be surprised,” Wandayi said at Nyangubo Secondary School.
Wandayi said ODM “will not tolerate or spare” absurd politicians who are humble when seeking the party ticket and turn into “political hyenas” after being elected.
But addressing the press in his office on Saturday, Obado said the same ODM leaders attacking him for going against the party ignored him despite being ODM candidate on August 8 and supported an independent candidate.
He said leaders claiming to be senior most members of ODM and closest to Raila in Migori, should first face disciplanry action for supporting independent candidates in last elections before pointing a finger at him.
“Nobody is more special in the orange party, these open impunity and double standards should not be allowed in the party,” Obado said.
The governor insisted he respect and support Raila, but equally support the will of the people to have their right leaders in office.
This is not the first time that the Orange party has been threatened by alleged favorism when it comes to nominations. The most notable one was perhaps the controversial Busia County nominations in the run-up to last year elections.
Former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma was leading the race by a big margin in almost all the constituencies but he was miraculously overhauled by Sospeter Ojamong who led in only Teso North and and South.
Speaking to the press after his loss, Otuoma said that the votes had been rigged after the announcement of the results was delayed.
“This is stupid, I should not even respond, I will task the National Elections Board with answering whether they are content with the announcement,” Otuoma told reporters.
He went on to contest the polls as an independent candidate but lost and has since joined the Jubilee Party.