‘I was not forced': Mbadi speaks out on why he dropped his Homa Bay governor bid

Suba South MP John Mbadi now says that his decision to abandon his Homa Bay County governorship bid, though difficult, was not forced on him and it was made with the best interests of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party at heart.

Mbadi, who also serves as the ODM national chairman, on Monday announced that he had withdrawn from the Homa Bay race in order to support party leader Raila Odinga’s presidential campaign.

According to Mbadi, the decision was made following consultative talks with Odinga whom he likened to a football coach giving instructions to his players.

“If you look at the statement that I issued on Facebook, it was very clear that I am doing this in the interest of the national good of the party. This was as a result of a discussion that I had with my party leader,” Mbadi said in an interview with KTN News on Tuesday.

“In football, it is the coach that decides who plays in which position. You may want to play as a striker and the coach tells you that you are better off playing in defense, so you end up taking that position.”

Mbadi went on to give another football analogy, labelling himself as a star striker who gets substituted by his coach when his team reaches a tournament final.

He however insisted that the talks with Odinga did not in any way encroach on his constitutional right to vie for any elected seat of his choosing.

“It is a discussion; I am not forced out of it. it is a discussion that I had with my boss and it is a discussion that I think is good for the party and I think let us just accept that we were going for party primaries,” he said.

“I know I had invested and actually it was the most difficult decision that I have made in my political career but it was doable because I support and look at the interest of ODM. Anything that would help me push that agenda to me is a priority.”

While ceding that his supporters were disappointed by his decision, Mbadi urged them to rally behind Odinga and support his intention to form the country’s next government.

He likewise highlighted that he still had a long political career ahead of him owing to the fact that he is just 50 years old, which is still a tender age in the political arena.

“My supporters are hurt and disappointed. They have expressed it both in social media and many have reached out to me. I understand them entirely and completely, they expected us to reach the ballot,” said the legislator.

“When it comes to party primaries, people can negotiate and talk. Again this is not the end of the road, there is something in store for me. I am still fairly young in matters politics. Let them continue praying and supporting our party.”

Despite not underlining what his role in the next government will be, should Raila clinch the presidency, Mbadi hinted that he will likely be a handed an important docket owing to his senior position in ODM.