ODM leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga has dismissed the possibility of a political alliance with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Speaking during a rally in Kisumu on Sunday, May 31, he instead called on ODM supporters to remain loyal to the party.
Oburu made it clear that, in his view, an alliance involving Gachagua was not among the options he would pursue, instead pointing to continued cooperation with existing political partners.
"My message today is to urge my people, the Luo community, to remain steadfast in ODM, as they are the true pillar of this party. I am here to tell our political opponents that we are aiming for power in 2027, and we are completely unafraid.
"Personally, I will not lead my people into an alliance with Gachagua. Instead, we are ready to engage in strategic negotiations with like-minded parties, starting with UDA, our current partners," he said.
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This comes days after Oburu confirmed that he will seek re-election as the Senator of Siaya County in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Monday, May 25, Oburu made it clear that he intends to retain his current seat in the Senate.
"I will be defending my position as the Senator of Siaya County in 2027," he stated.
Prior to that, a TIFA poll had showed that Oburu's Linda Ground faction is less popular among ODM supporters than Linda Mwananchi.
According to a TIFA Research poll released on Thursday, May 14, 73 percent of ODM supporters prefer the faction led by embattled Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.
The Linda Ground faction has only the backing of 24 per cent of ODM members, while 3 per cent remain undecided on which faction to support.
"ODM supporters appear to favour a more independent, people-centred opposition approach rather than closer cooperation with the government.
"The strong backing for the 'Linda Mwananchi' faction suggests growing grassroots preference for leaders perceived as defending public interests and holding government accountable," the report read.
Oburu further faces a new challenge after the poll revealed that ODM's popularity in the country dropped significantly from the last election cycle.
As of May 2026, ODM enjoyed the support of only 18 percent of Kenyans, a drop from 32 percent in August 2022.
The broad-based government partners, UDA, also saw a decrease in support from 38 percent in August 2022 to 17 percent in May 2026.
Notably, the number of Kenyans who support the broad-based government dropped in the last six months, while those who opposed the arrangement increased.
"TIFA's last four surveys reveal that while support for the BBG is higher than it was a year ago, the increase in its support seen over the previous two surveys (from 22% to 29% and then 44%) has now dropped, nearly returning to its modest August 2025 level (30% vs. 29%).
"The proportion of those expressing opposition to it has conversely increased since TIFA's November survey (from 48% to 56%)," the report added.
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