Siaya Governor James Orengo, in a rare spectacle, defended Senator Oburu Oginga over claims that he was involved in the 'sale' of ODM to President William Ruto.
Addressing the media on Friday, April 24, at the Kisumu International Airport, Governor Orengo stated that Oburu was not part of the group that went to State House to negotiate the deal to sell the party.
The Governor claimed that those responsible did not have the patience to at least wait for the body of the late Raila Odinga to be repatriated to the country.
"The conspiracy to sell ODM was made on the eve of the return of the remains of Raila Odinga to Kenya. That conspiracy took place in the State House, and what you are now seeing was discussed, deliberated, and a price paid for it.
"I want to say without any fear of contradiction that I know, as a matter of fact, that at the beginning Senator Oburu Oginga was not part of this cabal that is pushing the party to the brink," Orengo stated.
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Nonetheless, he stated that Oburu's association with the team left ODM in a dangerous position, which left some of its supporters worried.
The Governor stated that he was forced to declare himself the 'Acting Party Leader', a title he changed to the 'People's Party Leader'.
"Everywhere I go, people call me the party leader. I am the People's party leader because ODM is being sold to our political enemies, so I must stand firm," he explained.
Orengo revealed that he had four main responsibilities: to make sure that ODM is not swallowed, to ensure that Raila's legacy and achievements are not destroyed, to ensure the reach of the ODM party is not diminished, and to ensure that ODM does not become the junior partner of a party which needed ODM (UDA).
He called out Oburu for agreeing to hold a meeting with UDA in the State House, as it rendered UDA dominance and political hegemony in the coalition.
"There is no day in the entire life of Raila Amollo Odinga that he took the leadership of ODM to the State House to discuss matters of concern or in relation to the partnership between the two parties.
"The most shameful thing is that our people were discussing zoning in the State House, yet UDA was having a jamboree all over the four counties in this part of the country," Orengo reiterated.
Meanwhile, Oburu rubbished Orengo's self-declaration of assuming the party leadership.
“I don’t care whether somebody goes and declares himself party leader. You can be a party leader of the trees, you can be a party leader of the birds, but you’re certainly not the party leader of ODM,” said Oburu.
Orengo and the Linda Mwananchi brigade have been questioning the legitimacy of Oburu's leadership.
They claimed that he was handpicked to take over the party and demanded new elections. However, Oburu was confirmed as the party leader during a special ODM NDC held at the Jamuhuri Grounds.
