Members of the Musalia Mudavadi led Amani National Congress party (ANC) have maintained that their party leader will vie for the Presidency come August 9.

Speaking after holding the party’s Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday, January 25, the party insisted that the presence of Deputy President William Ruto at the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) last weekend at the Bomas of Kenya did not mean that Mudavadi has opted out of the race.

The meeting was attended by party leader Mudavadi, his deputy Abdi Yare, MPs Alfred Agoi, Kassim Tandaza, Omboko Milemba, Beatrice Adagala, Sakwa Bunyasi, Petronilla Were, Malulu Injendi and Ernest Kagesi.

While addressing the media after the meeting, Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba said part of the meeting’s resolution was to set the record straight that Mudavadi’s journey to the presidency is on course.

“At the National Delegates meeting last weekend, our party leader was given the mandate to look for friends to partner with in his journey to State House. Let it be known that as a party, we have agreed that Mudavadi is going for nothing less than the presidency,” he said.

The MP added that the party is open to making more friends who will support Mudavadi’s quest for the presidency.

The party’s position comes a few days after Deputy President William Ruto and the ANC boss announced that they will work together ahead of the August 9 elections.

Speculations have been rife that the Amani leader will shelve his presidency ambition in favour of Dr Ruto who is not allowed by the Constitution to serve again as Deputy President once his second term in office expires.

“In this course, we are looking for more friends to join and support us. Musalia Mudavadi remains our party’s presidential candidate for the August 9 General Elections and we have presented him to Kenyans and nothing is going to stop that,” Milemba said.

The party also announced that it has formed a campaign programme and starting tomorrow, it will have a joint rally in Nakuru with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

On Friday, the party will be in Bungoma County and on Saturday wind up the first round of campaigns after Mudavadi’s launch of his presidential campaign and manifesto with a series of rallies in Kirinyaga County.