Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has asked Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja to urge the Jubilee Party not to field a candidate for the vacant Kibra parliamentary seat.
This follows indications that the party could field a candidate, following Tuesday's happenings where the party reportedly sent a list of its own hopefuls to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
With Sakaja having initially promised to endorse an ODM candidate during former MP Ken Okoth's memorial service in Nairobi, Sifuna on Wednesday urged him to stick to his promise and help ODM with the campaigns as promised.
He further noted that the same way Sakaja allegedly talked President Uhuru Kenyatta into keeping off the Migori and Embakasi East by-elections in favour of ODM, he should do it again, unless he is no longer close to Uhuru.
"Sakaja told us he will campaign with me, he said he will convince the president. He went to Migori and Embakasi and convinced him, now I don't know if its influence that has dropped) Sakaja alituambia atapiga kampeni na mimi, alisema atamshawishi rais. Alikuja Migori na Embakasi akamshawishi na akamsikiza, sasa sijui kama ni ushawishi umedidimia," he said on Radio Citizen's Mjadala Wa Citizen, Wednesday.
However, he noted that either way, the Orange party is ready for the battle with Jubilee either as an ally or as a competitor.
He added that the party is confident of a win even if it will have to battle it out with a Jubilee candidate.
"We don't have any problem with Jubilee providing a candidate (Hatuna shida iwapo Jubilee watasimamisha mgombezi)," said Sakaja.