Wiper threatens to walk out of Azimio if it doesn’t get running mate position
The troubles in Azimio One Kenya Coalition Party seem not to be coming to an end anytime soon. This is after the Wiper party led by Kalonzo Musyoka came out to issue fresh demands to continue staying within the coalition.
The fresh demands come a day after Wiper and other parties within the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) wrote to the registrar of political parties seeking to stop the registration process of the Azimio One Kenya as a coalition party.
In a letter to the registrar, OKA said that the document presented before it was altered and does not reflect what they signed.
"It is apparent that the Agreement lodged on the 1st April 2022 was withdrawn and certain clauses amended or altered without the consent of all the parties and signatories," OKA told the registrar.
Hours after submitting the letter, the Azimio One Kenya campaign secretariate Raphael Tuju met various secretaries-general of constitute parties with Azimio to discuss the issues that were raised by OKA.
Following the meeting, Tuju said that the matters of contestation had been resolved at their level and the coalition is still intact.
"We are together, my sister SG (Wiper sec gen Judith Sijeny) has confirmed. But that doesn't mean we don't have competing interests sometimes," Tuju said.
Wiper party members led by Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, however, hold a different opinion. The leaders have insisted that all will only be well within the coalition if their party leader Kalonzo Musyoka is given the running mate position.
Speaking to the press, Wambua said that they are only in Azimio to support Raila Odinga's presidential bid but in return for being given the running mate position.
He said that should that demand is not met by the Azimio fraternity then they will seek other options insisting that Wiper will not be forced into doing things that they don't believe in.
"The lower Eastern region is very clear on why they are supporting Raila Odinga for the position of the presidency in this election and that reason is that they believe that Kalonzo will be the running mate. The running mate slot is the bottom line for us," the senator said.
"There are always options on the table on what we can do if the path we have chosen to walk is blocked (if they are not given the running mate position). Wiper party is not short of options and we are not going to be coerced into doing things that we don't believe in," he added.
Wambua also disputed the move by other constituents parties within the Azimio One Kenya seeking to be included in the discussion on who should be Raila's running mate.
According to him, the discussion on who should be Raila's running mate should be done by the Azimio's top leadership organ which, according to him, is made up of Raila Odinga, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kalonzo Musyoka.
"Let us leave the matter about who will be the running mate in this election for Azimio One Kenya to be handled by the apex body of the coalition management council. The matter should be handled by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka. We will reject any attempt by other members of the coalition to push an agenda that is contrary to a commitment given by the top leadership," he said.
