Last week in a scathing attack on Mr Odinga and the party he leads, Mbadi said that his party boss stopped him from running for the governorship but he will never stop him again from running for any seat. He even threatened to resign from the chairmanship of ODM terming the party dictatorial
Nominated Member of Parliament John Mbadi, who also doubles up as the ODM party’s national chairman, has finally made a bold move and for the first time in his political career attacked his party boss Raila Odinga.
Last week Mr Mbadi boldly told a public gathering that he had spent millions of shillings campaigning for the Homa Bay gubernatorial seat but Raila Odinga at first pleaded with him to withdraw and support Gladys Wanga but when he stood his ground that the Homa Bay people should be left to decide, he was made to withdraw by force.
Mr Mbadi swallowed his pride after Raila Odinga personally promised him a nomination slot into the National Assembly and the powerful position of either Majority or Minority leader in the house. However, as disappointed as he was, and out of respect for his boss, he accepted the majority/minority leader position. Unfortunately, when the time came, he was shocked to find his name replaced with that of Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi as its Majority Leader in the National Assembly.
Mbadi shouted at the top of his voice that he had been shortchanged by Raila. Mbandi had served as the Minority Leader in the 12th Parliament; the position ought to have gone to him, since it was the party that prevailed upon him to drop his bid for the Homa Bay gubernatorial seat in the August 9 polls.
Last week in a scathing attack on Mr Odinga and the party he leads, Mbadi said that his party boss stopped him from running for the governorship but he will never stop him again from running for any seat. He even threatened to resign from the chairmanship of ODM terming the party dictatorial.
On the Minority leader position, sources say Raila had also promised Wandayi the same position after he agreed to withdraw from Siaya’s gubernatorial seat to support James Orengo. Raila had therefore to balance between Mbadi and Wandayi but his handlers settled on Mr Wandayi. As things stand now, Mbadi is a bitter man who has vowed not to be shortchanged in future even if it means decamping from ODM.
