The Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM party has issued a raft of near-impossible conditions for any reunion with the rival Linda Ground team under party leader Oburu Oginga following an appeal for them to “come back home.”
Following Odinga’s death, ODM through its various organs, made major decisions, including the appointment of Dr Oginga as party leader.
The outfit, through its National Executive Council (NEC), also endorsed pre-coalition agreement talks with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA). The party tasked Dr Oginga to lead the talks.
In its list of irreducible minimums, the faction said they can only reconcile if the camp calls for an ordinary National Delegates Convention (NDC) for party members to elect new officials in a competitive process.
It also listed suspension of any political engagements between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and full implementation of the 10-point agenda as agreed between President William Ruto and Odinga.
The camp listed the demand following an appeal by ODM co-deputy party leader and Kisii Governor Simba Arati, who asked the breakaway camp to consider ‘coming back home’.
“Come back home, my brothers and sisters so that we can build our house together. We are ready to receive you,” said Mr Arati. He, however, said there is no leadership vacuum in the party as they are all behind Dr Oginga.
He made the remarks on the first day of the ongoing three-day retreat by the party in Mombasa. The retreat comes in the face of escalating internal division and fears of encroachment by UDA.
The appeal for the ‘rebels’ to come back to the fold comes barely days after ODM vice chairperson and Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo and his Suba North counterpart Millie Odhiambo described decision to kick out Mr Sifuna as a major political blunder.
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The two leaders recounted how they unsuccessfully tried to forestall the fallout by warning Dr Oginga about the decision.
“Before the NEC meeting that removed Sifuna, I met Dr Oburu I warned him against such a decision. I told him there would be nothing to gain, instead it would only destroy the party,” said Dr Amollo.
MP Millie also narrated how she tried more than once to reconcile the rival camps. “I spoke to other senior party members in Linda Ground…but goons turned their angers on me…they and their masters were not happy that I was attempting to bring our teams together.”
ODM is currently faced with sharp internal divisions, largely on whether to back President William Ruto’s re-election. But even within the Linda Ground camp, on and off political tension on contested issues like zoning, have threatened further divisions.
In an interview with the Nation , Mr Osotsi said the Linda Mwananchi can only work with Dr Oginga’s camp if ‘things are reversed to where Mr Odinga left them’.
“If our colleagues have realized they made mistakes, and they want us to reconcile, we will have to give them pre-conditions because we no longer trust them,” said Mr Ososti.
Apart from a demand for Dr Oginga’s resignation, Mr Osotsi said they will demand “unconditional reversal of all unpopular decisions made so far by the party.”
He cited ‘removal’ of Mr Sifuna, resolution for coalition talks with UDA as well as his firing from the party as some of the decisions they would demand reversed.
“He would also ask for a written commitment for total implementation of the 10-point agenda and convening of an ordinary NDC with election of national officials as the only agenda,” said Mr Osotsi.
Mr Osotsi said the party can only go back to its past glory only by allowing members to elect their leaders through a competitive process.
He cited Western region as some of the ODM traditional bastions that could shift away as a result of the current leadership.
“ODM has taken people of Western for granted. You know the decision to remove Sifuna as the SG was not consultative. The region was not engaged in making the decision. Even my purported removal.”
The development, he said, has since seen ODM popularity dip in Kakamega, Busia and Vihiga counties.
“I don't think that dipping is reversible, because as ODM suffers in Western, the people who are positioning themselves to gain from ODM collapse in the region are the very UDA coalition partner.”
