Bonchari MP Pavel Oimeke has accused Dagoreti North MP Simba Arati and his Kitutu Chache counterpart Richard Onyonka of meddling with ODM nominations that saw him lose the ticket.
In a statement posted on his social media account on Wednesday, April 20, Oimeke who was accused of demanding a KSh 200,000 bribe to re-open a petrol station said he will not allow the ODM party to impose leaders on the people of Kisii.
The lawmaker said he will soon announce his next move in a clear indication that Oimeke will be defending his seat as an independent candidate.
“Sad day for the people of Abanchari and the Gusii Nation at large. Today we’ve witnessed democracy on trial yet again as the ODM party denied me, the people’s choice the ODM ticket to defend my seat courtesy of Simba Arati and Onyonka,
“We will not allow leaders to be imposed on the people. On this note, I will soon announce my next move as the people’s voice is supreme,” Oimeke said in a Tweet.
Oimeke who won the Bonchari seat in the May 2021 by-election has been denied the ticket to defend his seat in the August 9, General Election less than a year in the National Assembly.
In 2017, the ODM party lost all the 13 parliamentary seats in Kisii and Nyamira counties and has gone for fresh blood to ensure it secures back the control of the region in this year’s polls.
Oimeke resigned from Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in March 2021 to focus on the Bonchari parliamentary by-election.
This was after he was accused of demanding a KSh 200,000 bribe to re-open a petrol station that had been shut by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) over tax violations.
