ODM to amend nomination rules, says Nyong'o

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has moved to forestall an imminent split in the party after it notified the Registrar of Political Parties of its intention to amend nomination rules.

Secretary General Prof Anyang’ Nyong'o said the party will amend the controversial section 6.2.1 of its constitution that states the party leader will be the automatic presidential candidate.

The clause bars any ODM member from challenging party leader Raila Odinga for the presidential ticket.

Were the clause to be retained, deputy party leader Musalia Mudavadi’s bid to clinch the ODM ticket would have been null and void.

Mr Mudavadi is the only candidate challenging the Prime Minister to be the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming General Election.

On Tuesday, Prof Nyong’o explained that once the proposed amendment had been agreed upon, it will then be submitted to the National Governing Council and the National Delegates Convention, which is vested with the authority to ratify the changes.

“Thereafter, the ratified instruments shall be communicated to your office,” said Prof Nyong’o in a letter to Ms Lucy Ndung’u, the Registrar of Political Parties.

“Kindly let us have your certificate of full registration and your approval so that we can proceed to amend the constitution as proposed,” he added in the letter.

The nomination issue, together with the manner in which the flag bearer will be chosen, has been at the centre of a protracted conflict between the two leaders, raising anxiety among ODM members over the party's future and testing its unity even as Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi maintained confidence it would emerge stronger.

The party's Legal Affairs Committee had been tasked to work through the Easter weekend on the amendments.

The changes are being effected as the party rushes to beat the April 30 deadline to comply with the Political Parties Act, which requires it to deposit its constitution with the registrar.

Prof Nyong’o later addressed the media after submitting the necessary compliance documents for the party’s registration to Ms Ndung’u.

He said ODM has registered more than 1,000 members in 35 of the 47 counties. The registration of members in the remaining 12 counties will be completed before the end of the month.

The party has also opened more than 30 new county offices.

Prof Nyong’o raised concern that at least 10,000 ODM members had been fraudulently registered in other parties without their knowledge.

And he provided the registrar with documents showing that in Mombasa County for instance, Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima together with a number of other party officials had already been registered by an ‘unknown party’.

Ms Ndung'u said as far as they were concerned, Mr Mwahima was not only an ODM MP but also a party member.

She said her office will verify the allegations and any party found to have engaged in the fraudulent exercise will be deregistered.

“If you give us wrong details or poached members from other political parties and it has been proved, the party that has done the mistake will be deregistered. They should go out and recruit their members from the grassroots like the others,” she said.