Suba South Member of Parliament, John Mbadi, has maintained that he will not participate in the campaigns for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidates in Homa Bay.
Speaking during an interview on Ramogi FM on Thursday, April 14, the ODM national chairperson stated that he had communicated his decision to his party leader Raila Odinga and the Homa Bay county aspirants.
He explained that he has previously been held accountable for failed promises made by party candidates to Homa Bay residents during their campaigns.
"The main reason I do not want to involve myself in Homa Bay politics is that the governor who we endorsed in 2013 and 2017 did not work as expected and all the questions were directed to me.
"As the ODM party chair, people ask me tough questions that I cannot answer because simple things like the maintenance of a hospital have not been done. I carried the burden of failed promises and I do not want to do that again," he stated.
Mbadi stated that he was focusing on Raila's presidential campaigns and was assisting the party in finding consensus among candidates in various counties across the country.
He also clarified a statement he made while on an interview with Citizen TV anchor, Trevor Ombija, where he stated that residents would vote for candidates from other parties if they were not pleased with the ODM candidates.
Mbadi stated that he was not campaigning against ODM candidates, however, he stated that voters would choose their leaders independently.
"If the party issues a ticket to a candidate and you are not pleased, we will try to persuade you to change your mind.
"However, if you are not impressed you can vote for another party or vote as you please because we are in a democratic space. You can also vote for the president and leave the rest of the ballots if the candidates do not impress you," he stated.
Many saw his sentiments as an expression of displeasure over the issuance of a direct party ticket to the county Woman Representative, Gladys Wanga. The two were eying the party's gubernatorial ticket.
"I can go and campaign for them but you can see Wanga has a running mate and they have the capacity of doing the campaigns. They are in the frontline," he stated.
