By Vitalis Kimutai
The heat under ODM collars must have cooled somewhat after the party National Executive Council (NEC) drew up a plan expected to resolve the nomination stalemate between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputy Musalia Mudavadi.
The meeting held at Orange House last evening agreed to change nomination rules in the ODM constitution to legalise competition for the party presidential candidate.
The decision on how to nominate the candidate was, however, deferred to next week when another special meeting would be convened. Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left), Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi moments after their National Executive Council meeting at Orange House in Nairobi on Wednesday. [Photo: Govedi Asutsa/Standard]
"Another group came up with fresh demands that nominations for the presidential candidate be conducted from the locational level in the counties," said an MP, who attended the meeting.
"It was generally agreed that the nominations be held from the grassroots level, but the dispute now is at what level, locational or county?" added an MP allied to Mudavadi.
A dispute has been simmering in the party after Mudavadi demanded that the nominations be conducted at counties.
He then embarked on a countrywide campaign, meeting delegates at the counties, across the country.
Railaâs supporters led by Local Government Minister William ole Ntimama and several Cabinet ministers from Nyanza had, however, insisted that the National Delegates Conference (NDC) pick the candidate.
Another hotly disputed issue was the contentious clause in the party constitution, which gives the party leader an automatic ticket to contest for the presidency.
The meeting agreed to repeal the clause to allow an open contest for all those seeking to campaign for the presidential ticket.
