I am the ODM presidential flagbearer, Oburu Odinga declares

Internal democracy in identifying the 2027 presidential flagbearer if the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party runs alone has been stifled after the interim party leader, Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga said he will be the torchbearer.

However, he, noted that the decision on whether the party will field a candidate or enter into a coalition with other parties will be made later this year.

“If we’re going it alone, I want to make it clear that our Constitution has the presidential candidate for our party and it is the party leader. I am the presidential candidate for ODM if the party decides to go it alone…Anybody who is preparing himself to go for presidential elections in ODM, I think is misplaced. If they want to go for the presidency, they should look for another party,” Oburu said.

He made the remarks while addressing Kenyans on Wednesday, December 31, and noted that ODM will remain in the broad-based arrangement with the Kenya Kwanza government until 2027, as agreed by his brother, the late Raila Odinga.

However, he noted that any working arrangement with UDA will depend on several factors, including the honouring of the 10-point working agenda and the memorandum of understanding signed between ODM and UDA in February last year.