Orange party warned against picking favourites in 2017 race

Former Rarieda Member of Parliament Nicholas Gumbo. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • MP Gumbo, who is seeking to become the next Siaya governor, feared that the trend “where the party’s leadership would impose candidates and later coerce the electorate to vote for them” would recur.

Orange Democratic Movement has been asked to stop imposing leaders on the electorate as the 2017 elections draw near.

Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, who is seeking to become the next Siaya governor, feared that the trend “where the party’s leadership would impose candidates and later coerce the electorate to vote for them” would recur.

“It is high time the electorate is left to choose leaders for themselves. Parties should not endorse people who brought down institutions. They should be left out because they will only live as kings and serve the party while the electorate is left in poverty,” said Mr Gumbo  who termed the trend undemocratic.

Mr Gumbo, who is also the chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, was speaking during a fundraiser at Bar-Kalare Primary School in Gem.

There should be no single elective seat reserved for a particular candidate and each position should be equally contested for, he said adding that whoever wins in the preliminaries should be awarded the nomination certificate.

It was unfair, said Mr Gumbo, for a candidate to be denied the ticket even after investing a lot of resources in the campaigns and it would be fair if they lost honourably at the ballot.

“Each and every contestant seeking a certificate in whichever post must be given a fair chance to compete and electorate given the opportunity to vet and elect candidates of their choice without being coerced,” said Mr Gumbo.

The MP also disagreed with negotiations and regional balance in the distribution of county seats arguing that the most popular candidate should be elected without coercing the voters.

“The issue of conversing or distribution of county government elective posts according to districts is not applicable here,” he said.

He was accompanied by MCAs Joseph Kawuor (Yala Township), Christopher Apiyo (South Uyoma) and Booker Otieno (East Gem) who all endorsed him for the gubernatorial seat.

Apart from Mr Gumbo, the gubernatorial race has also attracted Carey Orege (former Regional Development Principal Secretary) and Mr William Oduol (businessman) who are seeking to beat Governor Cornel Rasanga.