- Junet held meeting with Junet, Babu and Ledama.
- Raila on Wednesday endorsed Oparanya, Joho to lead ODM.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/X
Former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho on Sunday met a section of ODM lawmakers as talks of camps emerge in the Orange party ahead of next month's grassroots elections.
Joho was with National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina.
It was not clear the agenda of the meeting, but sources point to a strategy meeting by the Joho camp ahead of the polls.
ODM will next month elect new officials from the grassroots to the national level.
The party has been conducting countrywide membership recruitment drives.
On a social media post, Joho signalled the Sunday meeting had everything to do with the opposition party politics.
“It is us; we are through with the meeting. The party is strong,” Joho posted after the meeting.
Chungwa House insiders, who spoke to the Star in confidence, said there is a vicious succession battle in former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM, with the outfit's top brass secretly scheming against each other.
Multiple interviews with insiders point to a scheme by a section of top party officials to inherit Raila's constituency and take over ODM.
The fight is said to pit the two ODM deputy party leaders-Joho and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
Oparanya has insisted he is keen to succeed the ODM boss as party leader, if Raila wins the AU elections next year February, but through the avenues within the party.
“If he succeeds in his AU bid and may not be available to play local politics, I will ask for the party leadership. I know there could be other people who are also interested," Oparanya said last week during an interview with a local TV station.
Two weeks ago, Joho declared he will be running for president in 2027.
Raila, while trying quell the tension between his two deputies, endorsed the duo last week in Wajir to lead the party should his African Union Commission chairmanship bid succeed.
There is also emerging third force of Luo MPs who have rebelled against the two line-ups and are insisting that Raila continues leading ODM even if his AU bid is successful.
Consisting of mostly Raila’s Nyanza inner circles, the lawmakers are adamant in endorsing Oparanya or Joho as the alternative ODM leader.
Speaking at the weekend, the lawmakers said Raila remains their leader and Nyanza, which is ODM traditional support base, will not be inherited by "those who have been missing in action".
Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo said he is also ripe to lead the region. He said they will stand their ground and not be swallowed by the Oparanya/Joho axis.
“Baba the other day said Oparanya and Joho are there to lead the party, I want to tell you that when it comes to politics, we have also come of age and can lead our people,” he said.
Speaking during the burial of Nyando MP Jared Okelo’s brother in Ahero, Mathare MP Antony Oluoch said they will not accept any leader who is coming late in the day and masquerading as the "saviour" of the party.
“In these political parties, we now have Johnny-come-lately and other people who had disappeared and now they want to be saviour of ODM,” Oluoch said.
Joho and Junet emerged from months of perceived political hibernation since Raila’s Azimio party lost the 2022 presidential elections to President William Ruto.
Suna West MP Peter Masara said they will align with the party leaders after the April elections.
“Let us not confuse our people, the party will hold elections in April. We will have party leaders. Raila remains the leader of Luo nation nationwide,” Masara noted.
“I am confident come 2027, Raila will be our candidate, there is nobody else,” Siaya Woman Representative Christine Ombaka said.