Former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar did not resign from Wiper Party before defecting to Jubilee ahead of the October 26 repeat election.
This emerged on Monday during his testimony in the petition challenging Governor Hassan Joho’s election on August 8.
Omar told the court he is still a member of Wiper, which is affiliated to the NASA coalition. He said he is yet to officially resign from the party led by co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka.
It can be argued that his association with another party automatically disqualifies him from being a member.
But he noted: “I have not resigned but I have identified myself with another party,” Omar said before judge Lydia Achode.
He was the Wiper secretary general until September when he defected to the party led by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The move to Jubilee was interpreted by many as a way to “save face” and get a shoulder to cry on after being “disappointed” by Wiper.
He left in protest, saying Kalonzo did not seem to support his dreams of becoming Mombasa Governor.
But his move to Jubilee was doubted when he insisted that Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo’s victory should not be scrutinised as he won fairly.
Mbogo vied on a Wiper ticket and his election is being disputed by former MP Rashid Bedzimba.
Omar said Mbogo won the election squarely in a free and fair context.
“We had five candidates vying for MP seats in Mombasa…Mbogo’s win was foreseen. He was a strong candidate with huge support,” Omar said in an earlier interview.
The former senator was pushed to confess his allegiance with Jubilee when he insisted that the August 8 polls in Mombasa were marred by irregularities.
He pointed out claims of ballot stuffing and other election malpractices and said they affected the result.
Earlier today, Kalonzo’s party replaced Omar with former Nominated Senator Judith Sijeny while Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana was appointed chairman.
-the-star.co.ke
