Two factions of Thirdway Alliance have clashed over participation of the party in the upcoming Senate by-election in Garissa county.
A faction allied to embattled party leader Ekuru Aukot has written to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission revoking the nomination of Suleiman Gedi.
A week ago, another group of secretary general Fredrick Okang’o and chairman Brian Omondi, claiming to be the bona fide officials, issued Gedi with the nomination certificate.
But in a letter received at IEBC on Monday and signed by Aukot, Miruru Waweru (national chairman), Angela Mwikali (deputy party leader), Giovanna Bunei (national women leader), Daniel Rono (deputy treasurer ), Joyce Lairumbe (vice chairperson), Joan Lagat (national youth leader) and Andrew Ilere (orgainising secretary), the officials told IEBC that the nomination process was not done as per the party constitution.
“Specific to the senatorial by-election in Garissa, that the nomination certificate dated March 19 issued to Suleiman Gedi is in contention and must not be used to clear the said person as the candidate through our party,” the Aukot team said.
“Mr Gedi’s candidature was not presented to the NEC of our party and as such , that certificate as issued, is null and void ab initio,” they said.
There have been vicious fights between the two factions over the control of the party.
In September last year during the wave of wars in parties, Okang’o announced that Aukot had been expelled over financial impropriety and lack of transparency on party members.
However, in the letter to IEBC, Aukot says he is still the party leader since the Political Parties Tribunal issued interim orders stopping his expulsion until an appeal case pending in court is heard.
“The import of the said orders is that any person who purports to act as though they are party officials without following the due process and excluding other members of NEC perpetrates an illegality,” they said.
They added, “ It is now obviously wrong (owing to the granting of interim orders) for a few individuals to purport to nominate a flag bearer of the party in total contravention of the party constitution”.
Aukot and his team said the appeal is coming up for further mention on April 21 to confirm compliance with the orders.
They also stated that they have discovered that crucial information and requirements that must be met by a candidate before being issued with a nomination certificate were not presented before the leadership of the party.
For instance, the Aukot team claims Gedi is not a paid-up member and it is not clear when he joined the party.
“Our party constitution and rules of election are clear that only members of the party can be issued with a nomination certificate. Until proof of membership and nomination fees is presented before NEC the nomination remains illegal, irregular and attracts a criminal sanction,” they said.
They asked the IEBC returning officer in Garissa county not to accept the nomination certificate of Gedi and told the candidate to recover nomination fees from the other officials.
The officials said the party’s nomination and elections board as well as NEC have not sat to ratify the candidature of Gedi.
They pointed out that they are in the process of commencing contempt of court proceedings against the officials “who purported to nominate the candidate contrary to the law and the subsisting interim orders”.
The ruling Jubilee Party has settled on Abdul Yusuf Haji, a son of the late Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji, in the May 18 by-election.
Edited by Henry Makori
