Ababu party yet to decide on presidential candidate to back
Labour Party leader Ababu Namwamba (second right) and other officials during a meeting at the Sentrim Lodge Elemantaita in Nakuru on February 4, 2017. The party is yet to name the presidential candidate it will support in the August elections. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Namwamba said the party has the internal capacity to determine what is of its best interest.
- Mr Makali confirmed that they had commenced deliberations on the presidential race.
- He said the coming elections will be hotly contested and urged IEBC to address emerging issues.
- Namwamba called on some political parties to stop playing the “the victim’s mentality”.
Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba’s Labour Party has deferred an announcement of the presidential candidate it will back in the August elections.
It was widely expected the political party will name the contender of their choice at a three-day retreat at the Sentrim Lodge Elemantaita in Nakuru County.
But Mr Namwamba downplayed the significance of naming the leader to back, pending further talks among party officials.
“What I can tell you for sure is that we are having exciting conversations about the issue and [we have] commenced [a] very healthy debate. We will soon name the person we [will] support,” he said.
Mr Namwamba said the party has the internal capacity to determine what is in its best interest.
“We are not indebted to any political party and we are not paying any debt…we are absolutely under no pressure to hasten the naming process,” he said.
Party secretary-general David Makali confirmed that they had commenced deliberations on the presidential race.
“A decision on the party’s position will be communicated in the near future,” he said.
VOTER REGISTRATION
Mr Makali said the coming elections will be hotly contested and urged the electoral commission to address issues that have been emerging during the ongoing voter registration.
“We urge IEBC to move fast to address the emerging issues. Numerous anomalies have been exposed in the ongoing voter registration that must be addressed urgently to assure the country and candidates that the elections will be free, fair and credible,” said Mr Makali, who is also the party’s spokesman.
The leaders also urged officials of various political parties to desist from actions that could undermine the authority of the IEBC and its ability to conduct elections.
“As a first step in this direction, we urge IEBC to set up an inter-party consultative forum to invigilate the exercise, and walk with the stakeholders each step to give confidence to the country,” said Mr Makali.
Mr Namwamba urged the electoral body not to give space for doubts about being a neutral referee.
He also called on some political parties to stop playing the “the victim’s mentality”.
