Political storm brewing in Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party

 Amani National Congress Party leader Musalia Mudavadi. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

What you need to know:

  • Party member petitions Registrar of Political Parties to declare vacancies in its NEC and all party organs.
  • ANC Secretary-General Barrack Muluka said he had not seen the petition and would therefore not comment on it.

A political storm is brewing in Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party after one of its members petitioned Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu to declare vacancies in its National Executive Council (NEC) and all other party organs.

The petition by ANC Youth Leader Angela Gathoni wants Mr Mudavadi and all other NEC members to refrain from acting for the party as they are illegally in office.

She says the party’s NEC has been unable to plan, organise and conduct party elections at all levels within the time stipulated in its constitution, which is five years.

FIVE-YEAR TERM

According to Ms Gathoni, ANC was founded in 2015 and was issued with a certificate of registration on July 13, 2015 for a term of five years less one month for public announcement and notification of election.

This, she says in the petition, is in line with the party nomination and election rules and procedures.

This means the tenure of the ANC officials came to an end on June 15, 2020.

“That you order the party to conduct elections for all the party offices in strict conformity with the party constitution, Political Parties Act, the Constitution and the party’s election rules and procedures as soon as it is practically possible,” Ms Gathoni says in the petition signed by her advocate, Mr George Wandati.

However, ANC Secretary-General Barrack Muluka said he had not seen the petition and would therefore not comment on it.

“If the petitioner was acting in good faith, she should have gotten to us much earlier and through the correct channels.But if you get to the registrar before alerting us, then it is malice,” Mr Muluka says.

PARTY ELECTIONS

The petition follows a recent announcement by nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi that Mr Mudavadi and his team ought to conduct party elections.

It was also at Mr Osotsi’s instigation that Mr Mudavadi’s team moved swiftly to constitute the party’s Internal Dispute Resolution Committee (IDRC), five years since the party was registered.

Sources confided to the Nation that the party is now working on modalities of convening its National Delegates Convention, raising legal questions, given that it is yet to conduct any grassroots election.

Ms Gathoni notes the composition of the NEC does not reflect regional and ethnic diversity as more than 80 per cent of its members are drawn from one ethnic group.

“As currently constituted, the NEC promotes nepotism because a significant number of its members have a direct and personal and family relationship with the party leader,” the petition reads in part.