NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 25 — The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party has resolved to use opinion polls as opposed to party primaries to pick its candidates for various elective seats ahead of the August 9 polls.
The decision to use opinion polls was adopted during the party’s National Governing Council on Friday at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.
Nomination through consensus, universal suffrage and delegates system was also adopted.
“Let us have options so that we can make this process simple and cost effective,” the party leader Raila Odinga who presided over the meeting told the Council.
The ratification of the methods by the party’s highest organ comes on the backdrop of growing fears that some members might be denied a fair chance during primaries.
During the council meeting, a section of delegates expressed their reservations especially on the use of opinion polls saying the institutions tasked to conduct the exercise might be bribed to release a favorable poll.
Odinga however allayed the fears in a quick rejoinder assuring the delegates that multiple pollsters will be sourced to conduct the exercise.
“We will have two or more pollsters who will conduct conduct exercise and in the event still members do not agree we will use other methods that we have proposed,” he said.
Odinga said the party had lost some of its strong candidates to other parties due to confusion and lack of clarity during party primaries.
The party’s Secretary General Edwin Sifuna defended the polling system noting that it has been tested before and worked.
“We have used it before in our previous by-elections and it has worked. There’s no need for members to worry,” he said.
Suna East MP Junet Mohammed noted that the polls will avert chaos that has rocked the party during primaries in 2017.
“ODM is always given a spotlight when it’s conducting it’s primaries but with this method the process will be smooth,” he said as he urged members not to fret.
The party’s Chairperson of the National Elections Board Catherine Muma announced that the party will be conducting the surveys on candidates seeking the party’s ticked in March.
“Go to the ground and campaign,” she said.
According to the election timeliness released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), political party primaries are slated to be conducted between April 16 and April 22.
Names of candidates to participate in the party primaries are to be submitted by April 9.
The electoral body is expected to gazette the names of candidates who will participate in the August General Election by April 16.
