Wiper Democratic Movement has called off the nomination exercise for Machakos county governor contest over alleged interference by Governor Alfred Mutua.
The party secretary general Hassan Omar, however, said the process will continue for other candidates aspiring for the remaining seats as scheduled.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the Mombasa Senator said the party has instead summoned Wavinya Ndeti, Benard Kiala and Peter Mathuki who are the contenders to Nairobi to agree on the way forward.
“In consultations with the party leadership and Wiper National Elections Board, the party has called off the nomination for governor which was scheduled for tomorrow in order to reach an amicable solution with the candidates,” he said.
Omar noted that the party leadership will attempt to resolve the situation which includes reaching a consensus with the three during a meeting to be held in Nairobi.
“We have evidence of people moving to Machakos to influence who the next Wiper candidate becomes,” he said at Wiper headquarters.
“The governor is an interested party and he has mobilized people to interfere with the outcome of the nomination process to be able to have an easy sail in the August 8 elections,” he added.
He expressed confidence that the party will meet the timelines set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
This happened as the High Court in Malindi extended the duration for political parties to carry out nominations following an application by Non-Government Organization.
Pending the hearing of an application filed by Angaza Empowerment Network, the court allowed parties up to May 1 to conduct their primaries from the previous April 26 which was set by the electoral commission.
