Oburu drops faction politics, pushes for united ODM ahead of Kisumu rally

ODM boss Oburu Oginga has dropped hardline faction politics in the party and instead embarked on a fresh push to reunite the Orange outfit ahead of a Kisumu mega rally.

In a major shift, the party announced it would abandon the ‘Linda Ground’ faction that had emerged as a rival camp to the ‘Linda Mwananchi’ team, opting instead to rally members under one ODM banner.

Last week, ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga said the change of strategy was meant to extinguish the confusion that created internal rivalry.

After the creation of Linda Mwananchi, a rebel faction led by embattled ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo came up with a counter movement, Linda Mwananchi.

“We created a movement called Linda Ground to consolidate our bases, but some people came and instead of thinking about their own movement, they came to this Linda movement and created confusion,” Wanga said.

“There are no factions. The party is ODM under Dr Oburu Oginga as our party leader. Anything else is a splitter. Anybody else, when they are ready, should simply come back to ODM because ODM remains strong,” she said.

This technically leaves the splinter tag to Siaya Governor Orengo and Sifuna.

Wanga further warned aspirants against producing campaign materials that could create the impression of factions within the party.

“When you do your posters and campaign materials, let them remain ODM. The colour is orange. We do not want confusion,” she said.

Speaking on Wednesday during an interview with Ramogi FM, Oburu said factional politics will no longer define the party, which he noted remains a single and indivisible entity.

"We only have one ODM, which is united and we are calling on everyone to join us and make the party stronger," he said.

The move signals growing efforts within the party to cool internal tensions that have in recent months threatened to deepen divisions in the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga-founded outfit.

“I reiterate that our unity is strength, we only have one ODM,” Oburu said on Wednesday.

 “What we are going to do is to strengthen our ODM party, we increase our membership so that in the next election we are stronger than when we were in 2022 election. That should be my legacy.”

As part of the unity drive, Oburu has convened a major ODM meeting in Kisumu on Sunday, with insiders describing it as a turning point in efforts to reconcile rival camps and restore stability within the party.

The Siaya senator extended an olive branch to all members of the Luo community including the radical wing to attend the Kirembe grounds meeting and chart a way forward for the community and the party.

“We want to demonstrate our unity as the Luo community. We want our people to come in large numbers and show the world the community is united,” Oburu said of the Kirembe meeting.

“We want it to be big; we want the community to show the world they are one.”

While ODM remains a national outfit, its political survival and bargaining power still heavily rests on the loyalty of the Luo Nyanza electorate, long associated with the leadership of late Raila Odinga.

The party’s influence in counties such as Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori has remained unmatched for nearly two decades, with the region consistently voting overwhelmingly for ODM candidates in presidential, parliamentary and county elections.

The fresh efforts by ODM leaders to unite rival factions in Nyanza are also seen as a strategy aimed at protecting the party’s strongest support base ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The veteran politician has also initiated behind-the-scenes talks bringing together leaders from the warring factions in search of a common political ground.

Early this month, Oburu brought together rival camps in ODM leadership led by Governor Fernandez Barasa on one side and Cooperative CS Wycliffe Oparanya and Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera on the other hand.

The Siaya senator has also sat down with firebrand Embakasi East MP Babu Owino in the spirit of gather all, scatter none.

“Babu came to me and told me that Nairobi politics favour those who are anti-government but I asked him to be careful with those whom he is banking for his gubernatorial bid,” Oburu disclosed on Wednesday.

ODM insiders claim the new strategy will also see ODM leaders traverse the region jointly to market the Orange party as a single and united entity amid concerns that prolonged infighting could weaken its political grip in its traditional strongholds.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

The reconciliation push comes at a time when ODM has faced growing pressure to contain internal rivalry and project unity as political realignments begin to take shape ahead of the 2027 General Election