Siaya senator and ODM leader Oburu Oginga has told off Governor James Orengo for his attempt to topple his tenure at the helm of the Orange party leadership.
Speaking in a Linda Mwananchi rally in Nakuru on April 19, Orengo declared that Oburu had failed to steer the party, saying he would take over the leadership of ODM on an acting capacity until the new leadership is properly installed.
Reacting to the sentiments days later, Oburu told off Orengo for striving to hijack the party.
He insisted that his leadership was duly installed, asking the governor to keep off.
"I don't care whether somebody goes and declares himself a party leader. You can be a party leader of trees or birds, of of any other party but you certainly are not the party leader of ODM. If you think you have any other way of taking this seat thenyou are mistaken," Oburu said.
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Orengo has openly questioned Oburu Oginga’s capacity to steer ODM, arguing the party requires a hardened leader with liberation credentials akin to the late Raila Odinga.
He described ODM as a political powerhouse that cannot settle for the status quo, insisting its helm demands a seasoned fighter who grasps the essence of struggle.
Orengo further observed that Oburu did not inherit the political instincts of his father, Jaramogi Oginga, which had propelled Raila’s rise.
Oburu assumed ODM’s leadership after Raila’s death last October, but his tenure has been marred by factional battles that threaten cohesion.
He heads the wing backing a broad-based government, clashing with secretary general Edwin Sifuna’s camp, where Orengo belongs, which rejects ODM’s support for President William Ruto’s re-election bid.
Sifuna’s faction also maintains Oburu’s leadership is illegitimate, as he was not elected through the National Delegates Conference.
