A day after Prof Yusuf Elmi of ODM withdrew from Wajir West by-election, two more candidates followed him swiftly in what is believed to be continued influence of DP William Ruto.
On Tuesday, Prof Elmi maintained that he had pulled out following negotiations with his clan, although the ODM party insisted that it had pulled out as a show of solidarity with Jubilee party.
“I have today withdrawn from the Wajir West parliamentary seat by-election following days of negotiations within our community. ODM had nothing to do with it,” he said.
Mr Ali Noor and Abass Nunow apparently withdrew from the race after meeting DP Ruto at his Harambee Annex offices on Wednesday. They were accompanied by Elmi and Aldas MP Adan Keynan.
After the meeting, Ruto took to his social media to update his followers over the latest development in Wajir West by-election. He is campaigning for Jubilee candidate Ahmed Kolosh.
"We laud the public-spirited acts of Ali Noor Abdi and Abass Nunow to end their interest in the imminent Wajir West by-election. The decision will promote cohesion, harmony, unity of purpose and reflects the will of the people. During a meeting with Wajir County leaders, Harambee Annex, Nairobi County," he wrote.
The contest has now been reduced to Kolosh, who lost the seat following a petition in court and Ibrahim Mohamud, who contested in KANU during the closely contested 2017 polls.
Mr Kolosh won the seat on ODM. Until now, it's not clear why he decided to move out of ODM party after losing in the petition. Prof Elmi also bolted out, a move that has further weakened the orange party.