It’s time for Cord to bite the bullet.However, despite growing pressure, widening fissures and a ticking clock, the opposition has not decided how to select its presidential flag-bearer
With 359 days to the elections, Cord co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday said the opposition hasn’t figured out how and when to choose the candidate. The decision and method are crucial to prevent Cord’s disintegration.
While Cord dithers, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto are on a roll with their new Jubilee Party, announced last week at State House itself.
“I don’t know, we are still consulting,” the Wiper leader told the Star yesterday in response to a question.
Cord’s promised survey by foreign experts of the best candidate to take on Uhuru and its promised nationwide popularity poll have not materialised.
Cord leader and ODM chief Raila Odinga, Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula and Musyoka all want to be President. Raila has said he would back whoever can decisively defeat President Uhuru Kenyatta.
There’s talk of secret meetings and a plan by Wetang’ula and Musyoka to force Raila to back them. They deny any plot.
Musyoka also said he has no idea when the coalition’s three co-chairmen — Senators James Orengo (Siaya), Johnson Muthama (Machakos) and Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu — will settle on the selection method.
The three head the technical team that is to come up with the fairest and best way to select the Cord presidential candidate. They were to hand over a work report last week but that was put off as they also sit on the Joint Select Committee on the IEBC.
Last month, Wiper chairman David Musila gave the Cord co-principals a 30-day ultimatum to name the coalition’s candidate.
“Bite the bullet!” he said.
“People want to know who’s our candidate. We have had enough of this walking and dancing together. Now that everyone has declared their candidature, at the latest August this year, we want to know who will be Cord’s presidential candidate.”
Kalonzo, Raila and Wetang’ula are also under pressure from Jubilee to name their man.
Deputy President Ruto has been mocking Cord over indecision in naming a candidate.
Members of the three parties forming the coalition have been piling pressure on the co-principals to make up their collective mind or minds and name their man.
Lack of a single candidate has been cited as one reason Cord has not fared well in recent opinion polls.
The coalition earlier had indicated it would hire foreign experts to conduct a survey among the three co-principals and pick the most popular candidate. It hasn’t happened.
Cord was to conduct countrywide survey to inform the coalition which of the three hopefuls has the best chance