Nyali MP Hezron Awiti and President Uhuru Kenyatta at a past function. Photo/ tuko.co.ke
Political commentator Hassan Mwadiga has said the defection of Nyali MP Hezron Awiti from Wiper Party is likely to give Jubilee’s Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant Suleiman Shahbal an upper hand over National Super Alliance (NASA) candidate if the outfit decides to conduct joint nominations. According to Mwadiga, Awiti’s decision to join the Vibrant Democratic Party (VDP) will divide opposition’s votes in the governorship race thereby giving Shahbal an added advantage. “The sizeable number of votes a NASA candidate would have received if a joint nomination becomes a reality, is now in limbo after the MP’s defection,” he said, as quoted by the Star. Speaking at the Wild Water complex Center after announcing his defection, Awiti took a swipe at Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka for doing little to settle his differences with Senator Hassan Omar ahead of the August elections. The MP noted that the leaders met on several accounts but the meetings did not bear fruits.“Many talks were held with a view of finding a candidate. But it seems Wiper was not serious and was only keen on a cat-and-mouse game,” he said. The legislator further said that he could not accept to be locked out of the governorship race come August 8.