Tension is brewing in the Wiper Democratic Movement following the collapse of a meeting presided over by party leader Kalonzo Musyoka aimed at selecting a suitable candidate for the Mombasa gubernatorial race.
The two-day meeting is said to have been charged as representatives of Senator Hassan Omar and Nyali MP Cyprian Awiti made their points on why their candidate was the most qualified to take on incumbent Hassan Joho, in the August 8 General Election.
One of the meetings took place on Tuesday from 3 pm to 11 pm and continued on Wednesday from 8.30 am stretching until 2 pm.
Omar's team cited his strong backing from county MCAs and his academic qualifications to convince Musyoka that he was best suited to fly the party's gubernatorial ticket.
On the other hand, Awiti insisted that he had the monetary power and grassroots support which he would use to run an effective campaign and dethrone Joho.
After hours of heated negotiations, the meeting collapsed as each side maintained a hard line stance insisting they would not to step down for the other.
Following the premature ending of the talks, the Wiper leader reportedly ordered Awiti and Omar to meet and iron out the matter, which they have since refused to do.
The party is now believed to be grappling with ways of taming the looming fallout, with reports indicating that one of the two aspiring governors could ditch Wiper in case of any foul play in selecting the flagbearer.
