Amani National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Godfrey Osotsi yesterday claimed his party was the biggest beneficiary of the Jubilee Party merger after several leaders decamped to the party.
Mr Osotsi said following the development, ANC had now become the most popular party in Vihiga County.
“We also have Migori, Bungoma and Wajir as some of the counties where over 60 MCAs defected to our party. This is a show of the confidence Kenyans have in the party,” he said.
On Friday last week, a group of politicians among them Lamu Governor Issa Timamy, his deputy Eric mugo, MPs Alfred Agoi (Sabatia), Ayub Savula (Lugari), Alfred Sambu (Webuye), Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga) and John Bunyasi (Nambale) as well as 55 MCAs from various counties across the country defected to ANC.
The defections were occasioned by the merger of 10 parties into Jubilee Party, a political outfit that President Uhuru Kenyatta will use to seek his re-election in next year’s polls.
Following the merger, those who did not wish to join Jubilee Party were given 30 days to decide which political vehicle they would use.
Filed documents
The enactment of the Political Parties (Amendments) Act and specifically Section 11(8) states: “a member who is a President, Deputy President, Governor or Deputy Governor, Member of Parliament or member of a County Assembly, and who does not desire to be a member of the new political party registered after the merger shall continue to serve in such elected office for the remainder of the term, and may join another political party or choose to be an independent member within thirty days of the registration of the new party.”
Mr Osotsi said a number of elected leaders had by Friday last week duly filed the relevant documents with Registrar of Political Parties to voluntarily join ANC.
“The Registrar of Political Parties has acknowledged the changes by writing to all the leaders and will in due course gazette the names. The leaders will henceforth operate in their different units of representation as ANC members,” he said.
The ANC official further claimed the party has also received numerous written expressions of interest by elected leaders within CORD and Jubilee to defend their seats on an ANC ticket.
He said the latest developments confirmed that ANC is the party to watch in next year’s polls.
-standardmedia.co.ke
 Secretary General Godfrey Osotsi yesterday claimed his party was the biggest beneficiary of the Jubilee Party){kind=link}