Nyali Parliamentary aspirant Said Abdalla and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho at a past event. Photo: Hassan Joho/ facebook.com
Nyali Parliamentary aspirant Said Abdalla alias Saido has downplayed media reports that he clashed with former KTN investigative Journalist Mohamed Ali, popularly known as Moha Jicho Pevu during the opposition’s rally at the Tononoka Grounds on Sunday.
The drama is said to have began when Moha was making his way towards ODM Party leader Raila Odinga, when Saido allegedly pushed him aside and attempted to snatch the microphones from Moha.In an exclusive interview with Baraka FM, Saido insisted that he did not engage Moha in an altercation, adding that the reporter should blame himself because of what transpired at the function. Saido also claimed that Moha attempted to bring Raila to the podium so that he could endorse him for the Nyali parliamentary seat in the presence of the crowd, a move that did not please other aspirants including him.“When I finished addressing the rally the microphone was given to other aspirants and Moha was the last one to be given but what surprised us is that after he finished addressing the crowd he wanted to take Raila to the podium and it looked like he wanted to endorse him in front of the people, but other aspirants told Raila to take his seat so that Moha can finish his speech, so everybody was insisting that he finishes addressing the crowd but he kept on insisting that he brings Raila to the podium resulting to people heckling him,” said Saido, as quoted by Baraka FM. The aspirant also rubbished claims that he is banking on his close relationship with ODM deputy leader Hassan Joho to clinch the seat in the forthcoming general poll. Saido said he will battle it out for the ODM nominations ticket just like Moha and other aspirants, adding that no one has promised him a direct ticket. “There has been a lot of complaints regarding nominations in ODM but as of now 90 per cent of the election body has been changed and new guidelines have been set on member registration,” said Saido.He accused Moha of not being been keen on the guidelines of the party despite his long career in the field of journalism where he has met politicians from different parties."As an aspirant, you are required to register members on the party who will then vote for you during the nominations, so if somebody is not doing all that and yet he knows the guidelines, what do you expect?” he posed, as quoted by the daily.Saido also noted that it is not his fault that he belong to the same family with Governor Joho. “Whoever I'm related to does not matter because it’s not my fault that God put me in the same family with him. I will do my campaigns and follow all the party guidelines and compete fairly,” he added.