Lugari MP Ayub Savula has urged Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to join ANC and support party leader Musalia Mudavadi's presidential bid.
He said Mudavadi had okayed the party to reach out to Oparanya and other Luhya leaders to solidify his support base ahead of 2022.
“We know that we were engaged in hot campaigns in Matungu, but that is democracy. The Matungu issue is now behind us and we're focusing on 2022. We respect Oparanya and we want him in our team,” Savula said.
Oparanya, who is deputy ODM leader, led campaigns for party candidate David Were in the Matungu MP by-election and lost to ANC's Peter Nabulindo on March 4.
The by-election was interpreted by political pundits as a test run for Mudavadi, ODM leader Raila Odinga and DP William Ruto who are positioning themselves to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
Mudavadi, his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang'ula, Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka and Gideon Moi of Kanu teamed up against ODM in the Matungu race.
Oparanya has declared he will run for the presidency in 2022. He is among aspirants who have presented their papers for the ODM flagbearer nominations.
The Kakamega governor had earlier said he would seek to be appointed deputy prime minister should the BBI Bill be passed in a referendum later in the year. This would require him to run as an MP first.
But on Friday, Savula said that ANC will name him deputy prime minister if he joined Mudavadi's team.
“If it dictates that one must be an MP before being named deputy prime minister, then we'll nominate him to validate his quest,” he said.
“It is possible for Oparanya to be named deputy prime minister even when Mudavadi is the president. Uhuru was a deputy prime minister when Mwai Kibaki was president,” he said.
Sources told the Star that Oparanya could be in the process of launching his own party before affiliating to the sacred alliance.
