Raila asks winners, losers to unite and avert any fallouts

ODM leader Raila Odinga has directed the party's candidates to reach out to losers and strike a deal to work together for the benefit of the people and the party.

In a bid to avert nomination fallouts, Raila said ODM used an online voting system in the exercise and that the results were credible. He shrugged off UDA primaries as a mockery of democracy. He said there were enough "rooms" in both the county and national government to accommodate all those who lost.

"We used a digital system that displayed the face of the party member in our nominations. Those others used papers which were burnt everywhere. That was a joke," he said.

Raila was in Mombasa yesterday to witness the handing over of nomination certificates to Coast ODM candidates. He urged locals to vote in six-piece pattern for the party.

"Even though I'm the Azimio presidential candidate, I'll push for a six-piece vote for ODM across the country. I will compete with other parties in the coalition," said the ODM leader.

He said he will crisscross the country to campaign for the ODM candidates. Raila said it was time for nomination losers to heal and support the winners.

ODM candidate for the Mombasa governor seat, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nasir said he will reach out to businessman Suleiman Shahbal who quit the race in his favour.

Yesterday, however, supporters of Shahbal took to the streets to denounce the decision and called on him to vie for the Mombasa governor seat as an independent candidate.

"I will reach out to Shahbal. We will merge our manifesto and synchronize our ideas for the good of our people," said Nasir adding that his first agenda will be to return the port services to Mombasa.

He said Coast people will not be hoodwinked to vote for Deputy President William Ruto who supported the transfer of port services to Nairobi and Naivasha dry ports.

"When we complained he called us academic dwarfs. He has now come back extolling himself as the saviour. We will not be hoodwinked," said Nasir.

The Mvita MP met Wiper's Ali Mbogo, former Nyali MP Hezron Awiti of Vibration Democratic Party (VDP) and Deputy Governor Dr William Kingi of Pamoja Africa Alliance (PAA) in the August 9 poll.

The three parties have declared they will back Raila's presidential bid. In the Mombasa governor's race, UDA has former senator Hassan Omar.

Meanwhile, Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho has said that Coast region will remain an ODM zone. He said the party will develop a strategy to capture all elective seats.

"We have heard people say that the Coast has shifted. Let me tell them that I will personally lead the campaign to make sure that ODM captures all seats in the Coast," said Joho.