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Former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has said he will not listen to anyone advising him to go slow on his presidential bid.
Joho said there are fellow members of the ODM party who have been on his case regarding his bid to give a first stab at the presidency.
“There are people in ODM, who are calling me saying I am going too fast and that I should go for talks. I am not talking to anyone, we will talk on the ballot box when it comes,” the former governor said.
The former governor said he will not look back as he hopes to succeed Raila if he lands the AU job come 2026.
Joho affirmed that he has just started his State House bid and won’t relent.
“Mimi ndo nimeanza na sirudi nyuma. Sirudi nyuma. Na wakati huu, watajua hadi wapwani watahesabawa katika Kenya hii.”
He said as a Muslim faithful, he only fears his creator and not any man.
Joho spoke on Saturday in Malindi, Kilifi county, in the company of the coastal leadership when they convened to mark day 12 of the holy month of Ramadhan.
He described the people of Kilifi County as ardent supporters of coastal unity.
In mid-March, Joho said he is the most deserved to be Raila’s heir.
He said that over the years, he has learned many fundamental aspects of leadership from the Azimio boss.
“We have inherited courage, democracy, Kenyan values, the rights of Kenyans and fighting for Kenyans with no fear from Raila. The greater conversation on what we have over the period has been able to learn and inherit from Raila,” Joho said.
“Raila is still here and we need him to be here, but if he succeeds in clinching the AU chairmanship position, he is going to be two hours from Mombasa.”
Joho added that since he began his political journey in 2004, he has been under the leadership of Raila.
He dismissed alleged reports that he started being vocal recently saying his track record in ODM spans years.
The former governor said that he lost his business and almost got killed because of his allegiance and support for Raila and the ODM party.
“I have sacrificed my life over the years, not for six months, on behalf of Raila Odinga. You are doing so because of possible succession conversations, let us respect each other,” he told off critics.
Joho said that he has stood with the ODM party for years since its formation during which they navigated several challenges.
“I’m in ODM, my party is ODM. I believe that ODM should be the party that forms the next government. If I run for president, I will run in ODM.”
Raila endorsed Joho and former Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to succeed him if he wins AU’s top job.
BY THE STAR