Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali has revealed that there are plans to deny him the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in the 2027 general election by his party’s Secretary General, Hassan Omar.
Speaking during an interview done by NTV, he said he is ready to leave UDA and join another political party if necessary or vie as an independent candidate during the coming election.
“We have many options on the table. I came as a first-timer through independent; the second term, I came through UDA, and I am here telling him again that nothing is going to stop us from moving forward."
"If you think that the party is your own property, we will go through other means; there are other means, there are other parties, and there is an independent party. That is what I told the secretary general of the party,” he explained.
Ali, who was elected on a UDA ticket in the last election, said he is ready to face any political challenge and could even go back to vying as an independent or join another party.
He addressed claims by his party’s Secretary General, Omar, who is allegedly linking him with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Ali said there was nothing wrong with being friends with Gachagua.
“What the Secretary-General is trying to do is to link me with Rigathi Gachagua; in fact, I see in the text they are calling me ‘that guy for Wamunyoro,’ and the SG is using that," he asserted.
"There is no harm in having a friend. Gachagua was part and parcel of the team; he campaigned for UDA, he was a DP, he has been impeached, and he’s continuing with politics," he said.
Ali said that no one would stop him from speaking or meeting with Gachagua or opposition leader Raila Odinga.
"There is no one who is going to stop me from continuing to talk to him. No one will stop me from having a cup of tea with him. Same as Raila Odinga; no one will stop me from talking to him and having a cup of tea with Raila,” he said.
He also called on the party to address internal issues, warning that the problem is not just in Mombasa but across the country.
“It is a wake-up call for the party to put its house in order because this problem is not only in Mombasa County; the problem is all over, and by the time we are done with this grassroots election, you will see there will be a lot of problems,” he said.
