Cracks within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party have been blamed for the suspension of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's week-long tour of Luo Nyanza region where he was to be accompanied by his running mate and Narc Kenya leader, Martha Karua.
In particular, calls for six-piece voting in the region have seen party officials and aspirants lock horns over the party's campaign strategy in Raila's home turf.
At the center of the differences is the ODM chairperson, John Mbadi, who is opposed to the demands of six-piece voting which he says may cause voter apathy in the region.
However, speaking to Ramogi TV on, Monday, June 13, Mbadi revealed that the ODM boss decided to focus on the Lower Eastern region first before taking his campaigns to his home turf.
He refuted claims that the tour, which was scheduled to start today (Tuesday, June 14) to Sunday, June 19, was postponed because of rivalry among leaders.
"Raila cannot fear coming to Nyanza because of differences between the leaders. There is no day where politicians will not differ.
"I talked to Raila and he told me that he wanted to take advantage of the momentum gained from Kalonzo Musyoka's return to Azimio by touring his region so that we can consolidate the support base when there is still excitement," he stated.
The ODM chair has in previous weeks come under sharp criticism from leaders in the region who opined that the ODM boss needed to have numbers in Parliament to enforce various reforms in the event he is elected on August 9.
"We are being told not to campaign for six piece. Let him campaign for his two-piece but he should know that we are under only one house which is ODM," Oburu Odinga, Raila's elder brother stated at a rally on June, 11.
Nonetheless, Mbadi - who was appointed to coordinate Azimio campaigns in the Nyanza region - maintained that he could not be vocal on six-piece voting yet there were other candidates from affiliate parties.
"Matters in our region will only be resolved if we speak the truth. As the party chairman, my work is not to please people but to point out the problems facing us.
"Our candidates must get out and talk to the voters. They should stop sitting in the ivory towers and being bullish. Let them calm down and talk to voters with humility because they will bring failure to the party," added Mbadi.
Raila is expected to continue with his Ukambani tour after a two-day campaign in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
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