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Newly appointed ODM leaders have rejected the positions given to them, as party leader Raila Odinga faced a fresh revolt just days after striking a deal between two rival camps.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and MPs Paul Otuoma (Funyula) and Florence Mutua (Woman Representative Busia) turned down the new positions, arguing that the list of officials was forced upon them during the Naivasha meeting on Saturday.
They also questioned the newly created positions, describing them as “fictitious and unwarranted”.
According to them, the new structure would not solve the problems facing the party.
“We do hereby resolve that we will not take up positions to which we have been proposed,” the leaders said in a signed statement. “It is our conviction that the manner in which the process was conducted does not reflect the will and the wishes of members of the ODM family and it would, therefore, be egocentric for us to take these positions for purposes of personal aggrandisement.”
FORCED ON THEM
They claimed that contrary to statements by Orange House that the new list was agreed on through consensus, the new structure was forced on them during the Saturday meeting held at Elementaita Lodge, Naivasha.
“Merely hand picking of individuals to party positions does not address at all the fundamental underlying issues that the party has to resolve first,” they said.
According to the list, Mr Oparanya was to be second deputy party leader, Mr Otuoma was one of four vice chairmen while Ms Mutua was one of four deputy organising secretaries.
Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba, who leads one camp in ODM, was designated the secretary-general while the head of the other camp, Nominated Senator Agnes Zani, was to be second deputy secretary-general.
NEW LINE-UP
ODM unveiled the line-up with 26 national positions to be shared between 36 leaders allied to Mr Namwamba and Mr Hassan Joho on one side and Ms Zani and Mr Otuoma on the other.
Yesterday’s statement was released hours after Mr Otuoma and Ms Mutua had lunch with Siaya Senator James Orengo, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Mr Farah Maalim and Mr Odinga’s campaign manager in the last elections, Mr Eliud Owalo, during which they accused the party of ignoring their opinions.
Speaking at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi where they met, Mr Mohamed said the fight was not over and that they would be protesting the move at the governing council meeting on December 5.
-nation.co.ke