Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has announced he will not be attending the much anticipated Azimio la Umoja convention despite receiving a personal invitation.
On Thursday, December 9, Mudavadi revealed that he received the invitation and noticed it was addressed to him in his capacity as the ANC party leader and not as one of the principals of the One Kenya Alliance (OKA).
He raised an issue with the way the invite addressed him and he went ahead to state that he would not be able to attend because of personal engagements.
Mudavadi went on to wish Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga well ahead of the meeting noting that the event will solely focus on him.
"I have just received an official invitation to Azimio la Umoja Convention. As noted herein, the invitation was addressed in my personal capacity as ANC Party Leader and not OKA Principal. Regrettably, I will not be able to attend because of personal engagements," Mudavadi stated.
The ANC leader wished Odinga well and noted that he was a worthy competitor for the 2022 presidential race.
This also signalled Mudavadis' resolve to not support Odinga for the 2022 State House bid and also kicked off speculation on whether he would be joining hands with Deputy President William Ruto.
At the same time Wiper leader, Kalonzo Musyoka posted that he was out of the country and many questioned if he would make it to the Azimio convention.
"I was welcomed by Amb. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan's Minister for Presidential Affairs to the State House, Juba, for talks with H.E. President Salva Kiirr on the peace process in South Sudan," Musyoka stated.
Mudavadi's decision to turn down the invite came a day after the Mt Kenya Foundation also declared support for Odinga and promised to be present at Kasarani for the convention where political pundits speculated that the former premier would announce his presidential bid.
The group led by billionaire businessmen revealed that they were going to back Raila's bid for the presidency after wide consultations amongst themselves and advice from Kenyatta.
During the speeches, the billionaires, politicians and clergymen stated that they had decided to attend the Azimio la Umoja meeting at Kasarani Stadium on Friday to show their solidarity.
They also cautioned Mt Kenya against going contrary to Kenyatta's vision of uniting Kenyans arguing that there would be tears in future for the region if they don't heed the president's call.
