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Junet deletes tweet welcoming Prof. Elmi to ODM party ahead of repeat polls

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ODM leader Raila Odinga shakes hands with Wajir West likely Party candidate, Prof Elmi. (Twitter)

NAIROBI—The director of elections in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Junet Mohamed has since deleted the tweet welcoming Prof  Mohamed Elmi into the party ahead of the planned by election in Wajir West.

The immediate former legislator of Wajir West, Ahmed Kolosh has since decamped to Jubilee party.

“We will give detailed information in the days ahead,” a statement by the ODM said in response to Kulan Post when asked about the sudden change of preffered candidate for the repeat polls.

The approach taken by ODM in Wajir West is different to the one assumed by the party in Embakasi South and Ugenya constituencies.

“ODM has nominated Hon Irshad Sumra(Embakasi South) and Hon Chris Karan (Ugenya) in the upcoming by-election,” the party declared on its Twitter handle. There is no mention of Wajir West preffered candidate.

Insiders in the party say move by Junet Mohamed to share the news on Twitter got him a hostile reception within the ranks of the party.

They said “the unceremonious expulsion” of Ahmed Kolosh was a bad image for the party.

But those who are in support say Kolosh was not a loyal member and did not support party interest and positions on the floor of parliament during his short tenure as a member of the August House.

Ahmed Kolosh severally appeared in public rallies alongside Ruto loyalist in the region among them Majority Leader Aden Duale and Wajir Women Representative, Fatuma Gedi.

On September last year, Kolosh spoke ill of former President and Baringo senator, Gideon Moi a move interpreted as supporting William Ruto’s 2022 bid.

People privy to Kolosh campaign say ODM party did not support the former MP during the court duel while KANU offered moral and financial support to his petitioner, Ibrahim sheikh.

Former Wajir West MP Abdikadir Ahmed said ODM’s move to support professor Elmi will make the party unpopular in the constituency historically know to be opposition stronghold.

Wajir West is set for repeat elections on the 25th of April.

The victory prospect of Ahmed Kolosh is dented by the “sins of incumbency” and damaging audio correspondence by women from his clan widely shared on Whatsapp groups.

The silence of Kolosh and his visible lack of concern to distance himself from the utterances of the audio files, anyalst say, would antoganise himself against other clans in the constituency formerly led by late Ahmed Khalif.

Wajir West has historically exhibited unpredictable voting pattern.

“(Ahmed) Kolosh’s made mistake when he addressed the media at the entrance of the Supreme Court after the apex court nullified his victory. You can’t draw a line declaring you-are-with-me-or-against-me approach in a democracy. That’s considered rude,” Ismail Mohamed, a voter at Ademasajida told Kulan Post when asked to describe the feeling of the vote backyard of his challenger.

If Kolosh successfully secures the Jubilee ticket and Prof Elmi ganners the backing of Raila Odinga, Wajir West will be the political ring of DP William Ruto and his sworn political rival, Raila Odinga.

The polls will also test the President’s loyalty to the Jubilee party and avoid ing collision course with Raila Odinga at the wake of handshake.

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