The battle lines for the 2022 political clash between ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto have been drawn after the Orange party on Thursday picked its flagbearer for the December 15 Msambweni parliamentary by-election.
In what is shaping up as a battle for supremacy in the Coast region and a curtain-raiser for the 2022 polls, ODM picked Omar Boga as its candidate in its battle to recapture the parliamentary seat that fell vacant following the death of lawmaker Suleiman Dori in March.
Mr Boga will fight it out for the National Assembly seat against Mr Feisal Bader, an independent candidate who is widely believed to be fronted and bankrolled by Dr Ruto’s Tangatanga wing of the Jubilee government.
Mr Boga, who garnered 6,183 votes against Mr Zani’s 530 votes from 60 polling stations in the ODM party primaries, said from the outset, their eyes were firmly fixed on beating Dr Ruto’s Tangatanga candidate.
“I was not competing for the party ticket with Mr Zani. It was between myself and Tangatanga, whom we caution to prepare for a fierce battle. Msambweni is an ODM stronghold and we will recapture our seat,” Mr Boga told the Saturday Nation yesterday.
With the daggers thus drawn ahead of the Msambweni by-election, Mr Boga yesterday added that the ODM team is now all set to hit the ground running from today when they will hold a road show.
“We are ready to start our campaigns. The road show will be to first thank our supporters as we move to the ground. It will from now on be an ODM campaign and not Boga’s,” he said.
He revealed his campaign team is planning to meet party leader Raila Odinga to chart the way forward for the campaigns, whose victory will obviously have immense implications for the next general election.
And in what could amount to a subtle admission of the challenge posed by Mr Bader, Mr Boga said Tangatanga’s only strength in the race for the House seat is “their use of money”, which he said does not bother him.
“We know our strength and we know theirs is dishing out money, but the people of Msambweni will decide whom they want to give the opportunity to lead them,” he added.
In an interview with the Nation, Mr Bader, who ditched ODM to vie for the Msambweni parliamentary seat as an independent candidate, refuted claims of being Dr Ruto's project.
“Running for the seat as an independent candidate should not be construed to mean I'm Ruto's project. I read malice in the ODM party and opted out. I urge my competitors to conduct peaceful campaigns and I am confident that I will carry the day,” he said.
Crucially, Mr Bader was assured of Dr Ruto’s support a day after the ruling Jubilee Party opted not to field a candidate in the mini poll.
And even as they wait to meet the former Prime Minister, the ODM team has also hit the road running.
“Our members from Malindi, Mombasa and Kilifi are expected here for the campaigns. Already, the youth wing team is on the ground for a door-to-door campaign. We will get this seat back,” said Mr Boga.
Beneath the veneer of ODM’s confidence, and despite the Coast region having traditionally been Mr Odinga’s political stronghold, it will clearly not be smooth sailing for the Raila Odinga-led party.
Before the Thursday nomination, Mr Zani indicated that he would not support Mr Boga’s campaign if he was beaten to the party’s mantle.
“I have supported Boga several times in the past and I believe it is enough. I have faced a lot because of supporting him, but in reference to what you have asked, then that will not happen,” said Mr Zani.
After the internal polls, he still remained non-committal.
In a short text yesterday, Mr Zani only said: “I shall give a verdict to the ODM National Elections Board and the way forward for our supporters soonest.”
Mr Boga, however, said he was ready to work with all those who are willing to join the ODM team, saying his campaign slogan is “leaving no one behind”.
Mr Bader, who is the late legislator Suleiman Dori’s nephew, was among the four candidates introduced to Mr Odinga when the latter held the party’s county delegates meeting in Kwale.
Another independent candidate, Ms Mariam Sharlet, was eyeing the Jubilee ticket, but her plans were thwarted by the ruling party’s decision not to field a candidate in the by-election.
The decision reportedly caught her off-guard, with indications that she had already branded some of her campaign materials with the Jubilee party logo.
The Msambweni constituency seat fell vacant following the death of legislator Suleiman Dori in March this year. Dori, a member of ODM, was leaning towards the DP before he met his death.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced that the by-election, which was postponed in April, will be held on December 15.
