ODM summons Oburu and rival on day of drama, tears

By NATION TEAM newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.com  ( email the author)

Posted  Saturday, January 19  2013 at  00:30

In Summary

• Returning officer vanishes, leaving loser to declare himself winner
• Bett says returning officer wrong to name Oginga winner of Siaya race

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The ODM elections board last night cancelled the results for the Siaya governor’s race and summoned assistant minister Oburu Oginga and his rival William Oduol to Nairobi.

Board chairman Franklin Bett said they were not satisfied with the way the results were announced, noting that the returning officer, Ms Monica Amolo, did not follow the party’s procedure in declaring Dr Oginga the winner.

“None of the two has clinched the ticket. The returning officer has not followed the laid down procedure to satisfy me and the elections board.

‘‘I have asked the two contestants to appear before the board with documents to back their claims tomorrow (Saturday) so that we can determine who between the two won,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Oduol had declared himself the winner after  Ms Amollo disappeared. She had invited journalists to Bondo for a Press conference but later changed her mind, saying she would meet them in Siaya.

Four hours later, she had not made an appearance.

Although earlier indications were that Mr Oduol was leading Dr Oginga, who is Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s elder brother, the tables were turned when Ms Amollo finally showed up in Bondo and declared the Finance assistant minister the winner.

“I came to make the announcement here because of the security situation in Siaya,” she said. By then, Mr Oduol was touring the constituency convinced that he was the winner.

Ms Amollo said Dr Oginga won by 62,232 votes against Mr Oduol’s  35,198.

She omitted the results for Alego Usonga and Gem which were being disputed.

Mr Oduol’s camp issued its own figures showing that he had won by 99,993 votes against Dr Oginga’s 51,478.

Veterans floored