Barely one month after Amani National Congress ANC party won the hotly contested Matungu parliamentary by-election through their candidate Peter Oscar Nabulindo, Orange Democratic Movement – ODM party was left with a dent in their face after losing the seat.
Later after the MP-elect was sworn into office to start serving the people of Matungu, the Orange party has now moved to court to petition the victory of Nabulindo sparking a bitter exchange with the ANC party legislators.
ANC parliamentary group led by Lugari MP Ayub Savula addressed the media at parliament accusing ODM for not being content with the defeat in the by-election and daring them to bring it on at the court or even in a repeat by-election.
“We are ready for the petition any minute any time and we shall continue defeating them (ODM) and the petition as we look at it is the kicks of a dying horse,” said Savula as he read a handwritten statement by the legislators.
Butere MP Tindi Mwale said that ANC is ready for the battle in court or back to the electorate in Matungu where he exuded confidence that ANC will still emerge victorious.
On his part, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala dismissed claims by ODM that ANC was supported by the government machinery famously known as ‘Deep State” to win the seat and added that whether they received the so-called support or not, ANC beat ODM in broad daylight and will beat them again in any other battle.
“When you hear ODM crying it is because the government closed the pipes for their support and are now bitter when others are supported by the deep state and whether we got the support or not we beat them and I can assure our MP Nabulindo that you are the MP for Matungu from now until 2027 because even 2022 we are done with in Matungu,” said Malala.
The legislators further accused ODM of deploying goons in Matungu to terrorize supporters of ANC for supporting Nabulindo in the by-election and have now called on the inspector general of police Hilary Mutyambai to intervene in the matter and ensure the safety of the people of Matungu.
On his part, the area MP Oscar Nabulindo said that he is now focused on working for the people of Matungu and was surprised that there are some people who are still not convinced with the loss even after being beaten in brought daylight.
In response, a section of ODM legislators led by Suna East MP Junet Mohammed immediately addressed the media at the same venue accusing ANC and other parties in the NASA coalition of ganging up against the ODM party.
Junet said that it is high time the other affiliate parties in NASA respected ODM as the big brother in the coalition lest they will be taught a lesson that ODM knows better.
“We all along treated these parties as our small brothers, we fed them but it seems they have reached a point they do not want to recognize their big brother or father who has been feeding them and that is why we will now force them to know who their father is because we have been quiet enough,” said Junet Mohammed.
Accompanied by Homabay woman MP Gladys Wanga and her Kisumu counterpart Rozah Buyu, Mohammed accused the three affiliate parties ANC, Ford Kenya and Wiper of making ODM and its party leader Raila Odinga the subject and agenda of discussion in every forum and urged them to desist from the behavior.
In a separate interview, ODM Secretary-general Edwin Sifuna confirmed that their candidate David Were had filed the petition at Kakamega High court and affirmed that there is enough evidence to lead to nullification of the results of the by-election.
“Earlier on after the by-election was over we raised concerns about the way it was conducted and our ANC friends told us to go to court and now when we have decided to go to court why are they crying foul? They know very well that the election was not free and fair and any judge in this country will have all the reasons to nullify the results of that election,” said Sifuna in his office.
He said that ODM has the best lawyers in the country to argue the case and there is enough evidence to win the it as compared to ANC whom he said have no legal team in place to argue their case.
