Fresh fears have rocked ODM over possible poor performance
in the 2027 polls and further disintegration weeks after Edwin Sifuna and his
team were kicked out.
Some ODM lawmakers on Tuesday lifted the lid on simmering
internal discontent that threatens to further fragment the outfit and weaken
its grip on key bases.
National Assembly’s Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo on Tuesday
openly admitted lack of internal harmony even after the Sifuna exodus.
She revealed that some leaders are being sidelined and are
not invited to strategic party and regional meetings.
Apart from herself, Millie disclosed that Rarienda MP
Otiende Amollo, Kisumu Women Rep Ruth Odinga and Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino are among
those who have been excluded from recent meetings.
“Recently, a leader
from our region convened a meeting to address unity of our people but you find
that I am not invited same to Otiende, Ruth Odinga and Martin Owino,” she said.
She added; “It is sad that I have to say in the media what
we should discuss in closed door meetings.”
Amollo confirmed that some officials are always kept in the
dark while only a section make crucial decisions.
“At a general principle level, it is true there have been meetings
sometimes by the party and Duol where we have not been invited and there is no
secret about it. I have raised it in subsequent meetings where we have been
invited and those are some of the issues we are trying to iron out within the
party,” Amollo told the Star.
Duol is an informal meeting with membership from Luo elected
MPs.
“It is also true that
one of the reasons I objected to the removal of Sifuna is because it was not on
the agenda. I later came to understand there were some consultations that had
discussed that removal will be part of the discussion, I was not aware which is
why I objected,” Amollo added.
He however said the situation has improved and they now
receive invites.
“Lately, we have been invited in the last two meetings but
before that there were one or two meetings where we were not invited.”
Millie warned that the party is steadily losing support in
some of its traditional strongholds.
"Let us not cheat ourselves. Our support has weakened
in some of our bases, especially in Western," Millie said during a morning
interview on Ramogi FM on Wednesday.
The same fears were also raised by Amollo, cautioning the
party risks further fragmentation if certain issues are not addressed.
He specifically faulted the manner the party has handled
cases of dissent which he noted may occasion further split.
“My view has always been and I said it in our meeting in
Siaya, I told our party leader to gather all and scatter none. At that time the
idea of removing anybody from any position had not arisen. Now that is water
under bridge, there are people who have left and they have gone to Linda
Mwananchi,” Amollo told the Star.
“It is still my view that even those of us who are
remaining, there are still small underlying issues and it is important to
address those issues because there can still be further fragmentation in the
party and any fragmentation does not serve the party well, it serves the
negative purposes."
Speaking on Ramogi FM, Millie also blamed what she termed as
strategic missteps by the leadership for the party's dwindling fortunes.
The MP pointed to the fallout with the Linda Mwananchi
movement as one of the developments that has weakened ODM's grip in key
regions.
According to the lawmaker, the party has continued to lose
support in areas it once considered its political bastions because of internal
divisions and poor management of dissent.
“I saw the party national chairperson projecting the party
could get over 100 MPs in the coming elections, the reality is that we cannot
achieve those numbers,” Millie said contradicting earlier projections by the
party leadership.
“The bases we had have somehow slipped, seeing ODM uniforms
being burnt (…in Western) is not a good signal.”
Her remarks contrast sharply with those of ODM national chairperson
Gladys Wanga, who has repeatedly expressed confidence that the party will
secure more than 100 seats in the 14th Parliament.
While acknowledging the political shift in the Western
region, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera was upbeat the party will emerge stronger and
reclaim its hold in the vote-rich region.
“Not withstanding for sure that the removal of Edwin
(Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna) has posed challenges but those challenges can be
surmounted and will be surmount them because the people strongly believe in
ODM,” Nabii told the Star in an interview.
Millie further cautioned that ODM risks suffering major
electoral losses to smaller political parties unless it guarantees free, fair
and transparent party nominations ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Our next challenge is the coming nominations. We must
conduct free and fair nominations exercise or else there are broad-based
friendly parties that are watching,” she said.
She argued that disputed nominations have historically
pushed disgruntled aspirants to seek alternative political vehicles, handing
victory to rival parties in several constituencies.
The comments come at a time when ODM is grappling with
internal realignments following the fallout with the Linda Mwananchi faction,
whose leaders have accused the party hierarchy of abandoning its traditional
opposition role.
The Suba North MP also accused sections of the party
leadership of sending conflicting political messages, saying contradictory
public positions have created confusion among supporters and weakened ODM's
bargaining power.
“At one point they say we don’t want DP position, the next
minute we want DP position. The party again says they don’t have a presidential
candidate while at the same time they have endorsed and are having the
candidate,” Millie said.
“I can’t be part of that confusion,” she added explaining
why she has not taken sides between Oburu and Sifuna faction.
Wajir South MP Adow Mohammed, however, downplayed the
concerns, describing them as normal "teething problems" following the
death of former party leader Raila Odinga.
"We expected these teething problems. Whenever a
disruptive event such as the death of a leader of Raila Odinga's stature
occurs, there will naturally be push and pull," Adow said.
"How the party protects the interests of ODM supporters
and its traditional grassroots base will determine its future."
He dismissed claims that ODM is losing its grip on
traditional strongholds, insisting the party remains firmly rooted in the North
Eastern region.
"The people of North Eastern have always voted for ODM
and, this time round, they also support President Ruto. Many candidates will
still contest on the ODM ticket in the coming elections," he told the
Star.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The latest remarks are likely to intensify debate within ODM over its preparedness for the 2027 elections as the party seeks to retain its influence while confronting growing competition from both established rivals and emerging political formations.
