Obado vows to fight off ODM ouster plot

Migori Governor Okoth Obado at the Milimani anti-corruption court last Thursday. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Migori Governor Okoth Obado is putting on a brave face a day after the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) sealed his fate and told its members to impeach him.

Yesterday, a defiant Obado said he would rally MCAs to reject attempts to kick him out of office.

He accused the ODM party of malice and described the ouster plot as “selective justice.”

He spoke as ODM chair John Mbadi declared the party will not reverse its decision.

“Obado can call us names but nothing will change our resolve to initiate the impeachment motion guided by our party stand and philosophy,” said the ODM chair.

Mbadi was outraged by attacks by Obado’s supporters on social media.

He said out of 41 Migori ward representatives, 37 had agreed to back the ouster motion. The proposed impeachment brought out Obado’s political enemies.

Migori Senator Ochilo Ayacko, who was floored by Obado in the 2013 election, supported the plan to impeach the governor.

‘’The best the governor can do is to prepare his defence instead of resorting to blame games.

“ODM is clean and only acted in the aggregate interest of the public,” he said.

Questions, however, remain whether the move will succeed with some MCAs allied to Obado vowing to frustrate the efforts by ODM to impeach the governor.

Ntimaru MCA Augustine Muise, who was elected on Jubilee party, said the motion will not see the light of day.

The group fronting for Obado’s removal, however, said the issues they have against the governor go beyond the case he is facing in court. They claimed that the governor’s administration has been sidelining some areas in development projects.

Muhuru Bay MCA Hevron Mahira said plan to impeach Obado was on and that they will not retreat.

“I am among the first MCAs who signed the impeachment motion against governor because of skewed development projects in all 40 wards,” he claimed.

Other MCAs who asked not to be named claimed that they have already started developing the grounds for impeachment.

“The threshold for impeaching a governor is always high and that is why we are not leaving anything to chance,” said an MCA.

Yesterday, the governor who was hosted by a local radio station alleged witch hunt from party officials and claimed they will not succeed.

Obado vowed to reach out to the MCAs to defy the party directive and shoot down the impeachment motion should it be brought to the floor of the county assembly.

[Kepher Otieno, Harold Odhiambo and Caleb Kingwara]