Even as Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition’s search for Raila Odinga's running mate gathers momentum, one of the panel members tasked with identifying Raila's running mate has threatened to quit.
Speaking on Saturday, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, who is part of the Azimio advisory panel, said he will consider leaving the panel if some of the Wiper party's demands are not met.
In particular, Wambua insisted that his Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka will not appear before their interviewing panel and that his decision should be respected.
He said he will consider quitting the panel if fellow panel members will use Kalonzo Musyoka as a rubber stamp to make their own influenced decisions.
"As a member of that panel, I want to make it clear that the position taken by my Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka not to appear before the panel should be respected. Kalonzo will not appear before us and the panel will make decisions they will make, but should they decide to trap and use us like a rubber stamp for poor decisions, I will quit that panel. We will leave them to do their own things and we shall respond as Wiper," stated Wambua.
Read More
Wambua also decried a decision by some of the panel members to add more names of running mate aspirants to the seven-aspirants list they had agreed on. Wambua said no more names should be added to the list.
The senator said Raila had asked them to get him a suitable candidate who will help him win elections adding that the addition of extra aspirants to the list will not help Raila win elections.
"For purposes of the integrity of the process, and dignity of members of the panel, we cannot add a single name on top of the seven names which we had agreed on" he stated.
This comes at a time when Agriculture CS Peter Munya, whose name is among those added to the aspirants' list recently, rubbished calls by a number of leaders to dictate who should be appointed as Raila's running mate.
Munya said the sole decision of selecting Raila's running mate rests on Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta and that nobody should give demands on who should be elected.
The Azimio advisory panel comprises of Bishop Peter Njenga, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, Michael Orwa, Noah Wekesa, Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa and Beatrice Askul Moe who are expected to present “a name, or names,” of the running mate candidate by May 10.
