Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has put to bed speculations on his stance on ODM following the passing of party leader Raila Odinga.
Sifuna, who has been the biggest subject of speculation since Raila passed away on Wednesday, October 15, openly declared that he would commit himself to keeping the party together, whatever it takes.
"Because ODM is one of your (Raila's) biggest legacies, I, as Sifuna, will do everything in my power to keep this party together even in the face of provocation, and you know what we are talking about," Sifuna said.
The Senator further urged the remaining leadership within the ODM party to remain united and take a step back from politics to listen to millions of other party affiliates on the way forward.
He went on, "In my view, this is not the time to push divisive narratives within ODM. ODM is a party for everyone. We as leaders should show unity so that other members can follow suit."
Prior to Raila's passing, Sifuna courted controversy with the party with his stance on Raila's MoU with the government. In August, he openly claimed he was ready to quit the party if it backed President William Ruto's candidature in the 2027 presidential polls.
However, in an open change in stance, the party Secretary General reiterated that in the wake of Raila's passing, he would not be part of the elements within the party which contributed to ODM's downfall.
"I want to say here, I will not be among the people who contribute to this party's downfall. I want to encourage the leaders of ODM; let's be quiet and listen to the people and what they want," he reiterated.
Notably, during introductions, Sifuna was among the ODM leaders who received the loudest cheers when his name was mentioned at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) in Bondo, Siaya County.
Sifuna was the latest leader to weigh in on ODM's future, after the likes of the late Raila's sister Ruth Odinga and the party deputy leader Simba Arati, who also vowed to keep the party together.
Despite the theme of unity within ODM taking centre stage during the burial ceremony, a point of contention is how the party would stay united since there are some elements that were against the broad-based government.
Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina spoke during the same event by declaring that the ODM party would remain united in the broad-based government.
"I know a lot of people are expecting that the ODM will fight; that we will have different factions. I want to assure Kenyans that, as long as God gives us time on this earth, we will follow Baba's footsteps. Baba said we should stay together, and that was his last message," Ole Kina said.
Elsewhere, ODM Deputy Party leader Abdulswamad Sherriff Nassir boldly declared during his speech that in 2027 ODM would "either be in government or be the government, but not in opposition".
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