Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) National Chairman John Mbadi and Treasurer Timothy Bosire have clashed over the fate of party members who lost in the nominations and have resolved to vie as independent candidates.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Mbadi, stated that independent candidates who resigned from ODM should seek votes on their own but should not expect sympathy from the party.
Mbadi stated that after their resignation, they were no different from those opponents drawn from Jubilee.
“There will be no voter apathy anywhere in our strongholds because of the independents. People in ODM areas turn out to vote because of the party leader, Raila. No sympathy,” said Mbadi.
According to Mbadi, the calls by the independents was hypocritical since they were seeking to ride on the party that they ditched while running against ODM candidates.
Mbadi’s position was however dismissed by Mr Bosire who called on the party to look at the ‘bigger picture of winning the presidency and not individual interests'.
Bosire noted that since ODM’s primaries were shambolic, the party should not antagonise its former leaders in their quest for the elective seats come August.
“We should try as much as possible to accommodate them because they are pursuing their rights which they did not get in the primaries,
“We must choose our words carefully, otherwise we may spoil our main agenda of forming the next government,” said Bosire.
ODM party leader Raila Odinga was on Tuesday forced to clarify that he had no issues with the independent candidates but was duty-bound as the party’s leader to support the party’s candidates.
Read Also: Raila Announces How NASA Will Use Videos and Photos to Beat Jubilee
