ODM refunds nominees’ fees as it embarks on issuance of direct tickets

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has embarked on refunding millions of nominees’ fees following its electoral board’s decision to hand out direct tickets.

The party has issued direct certificates in at least ten electoral areas in the last week, including three gubernatorial positions and four parliamentary seats.

Garissa Governor Ali Korane, who sought to defend his seat on an ODM ticket, is one of the aspirants denied a chance to run in a competitive nomination process by the party.

Instead, his opponent Nathif Jama has received a direct ticket from the party.

“I wish to inform you that the party received other applications for the same position and upon consultations, reviews and polling, resolved it shall not be conducting a competitive nomination for the position of Governor of the County of Garissa,” read the letter from ODM’s National Elections Board Chairperson Catherine Mumma.

The Odinga-led party had indicated secret ballot would be deployed as the last nomination option while trying to arrive at candidates who will fly the flag of the political outfit in the different elective seats.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the party will use opinion polls to identify strong candidates with secret ballots and party primaries being used as a last resort mechanism where dialogue fails.

“Opinion polls all over the years have been one of the ways in gauging popularity and it will be there among other factors. Opinion polls to test the strength of candidates will not be something new,” Abdulahi Guliye, the National Election Board Secretary stated.

ODM deputy party leader and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya stated that more direct tickets will be issued to Fernandes Baraza, who is running for Kakamega Governor, and Elsie Muhanda, who is seeking to defend her Woman Rep position.

Others to be handed direct tickets by ODM are Jubilee’s Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) and Ben Shinali (Ikolomani) who will be defending their seats in the Raila-led outfit.

“The entire Kakamega is now fully behind ODM. We are today receiving Wangwe and Shinali,” said Oparanya.

He disclosed that some of the aspirants handed direct tickets polled as high as 70 percent in opinion polls conducted by the party.

Oparanya said it would be a waste of time to conduct primaries through universal suffrage in such a scenario. “Some of them polled over 70 percent in popularity; so why waste time with primaries in such a case? In some areas we will conduct primaries, especially for MCAs,” he said.

He said in areas where the party has issued direct tickets, all aspirants have had the advantage to see the results of the opinion polls.

ODM aspirants seeking gubernatorial seats were paying Sh500,000 to the party while deputy governors, senators, and members of National Assembly were each parting with Sh250,000 as nomination charges.

Those eyeing woman representative posts paid Sh125,000 to Chungwa House while MCA aspirants paid Sh50,000 and Sh25,000 for youth, women, and People With Disabilities.