Eva Nyambura
A list of preferred candidates for elective posts in Siaya County is false, area senator James Orengo has said.
In a statement, the leader of minority in the senate on Tuesday dismissed the reports as false and malicious.
According to Orengo, the said list is meant to interfere with the ongoing voter registration exercise.
He added that the party, ODM, was yet to conduct nominations anywhere in the country regarding the 2022 general elections.
STATEMENT ON THE ALLEGED LIST OF PREFERRED CANDIDATES IN SIAYA COUNTY pic.twitter.com/v00z2F615E
— James Orengo (@orengo_james) October 12, 2021
Read: I Shall not Contest for Position of Siaya Governor – Opiyo Wandayi
“As far as I am aware, ODM has not conducted any nominations and there are no preferred candidates in Siaya County or elsewhere,” Orengo said.
He also mentioned that the Raila Odinga-led party has in the past subjected even the highest ranking members to nominations. This, he said, is still the case.
“Politics that is non-competitive is undemocratic and autocratic and belongs to the tragic past. The story is false and malicious and was meant to interfere with the ongoing voter registration exercise,” he said.
“I also want to confirm that I am not in any contrived line-up of candidates and condemn any such moves to stifle democracy within the party.”
Read Also: DPP Wants Senator Orengo Blocked From Representing Ex-Transport CS Kamau in Criminal Case
Last week, Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi bowed out of the Siaya Gubernatorial race after consultations with the party.
“Following extensive consultations with the ODM leadership and the rank and file of the party and, having listened keenly to the voices of my Ugunja constituents, I wish to make it known that I shall not be a candidate for the position of governor of Siaya county in 2022,” said the legislator.
Should Orengo decide to vie for the governor seat, he will face off with former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, former police spokesman Charles Owino and deputy governor James Okumbe.
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