Siaya governor hopeful William Oduol on Friday told Senator James Orengo (pictured) to forget the county’s top job and concentrate on the Senate seat, if he wants to remain in politics after the 2017 election.
He said he will get the seat at all costs, warning aspirants who are not financially stable to quit or brace themselves for hunger after the polls.
Oduol urged Orengo to divert his efforts towards strategies that will see Cord leader Raila Odinga ascend to the presidency in 2017.
He spoke at Ndere Polytechnic in Gem subcounty. Oduol said if Orengo chooses to end his political career, then he should be in the running for governor.
He questioned the senator’s development record, saying he did little as Ugenya MP, hence cannot manage the county.
“If I managed to garner 64,000 votes as the NAP candidate, how many will I get in the 2017 polls with ODM?” Oduol asked.
He said Orengo will only eat into the incumbent Cornel Rasanga’s votes if he decided to contest, saying his 50,000 votes from the previous poll remain intact.
Other hopefuls are former Regional Development PS Carey Orege and Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo.
The entry of Orengo into the race has raised the political temperature in a county known for high-octane politics.
Gumbo, Orege and Oduol have been campaigning to wrest the seat from Rasanga. It is said Orengo, Oduol, Orege and Gumbo held meetings to agree on who among them should face Rasanga, but they failed to strike a deal.