Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has addressed speculation surrounding the participation of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, and other Linda Mwananchi leaders in the upcoming ODM Party National Delegates Convention (NDC).
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, March 25, Wanga noted that both Sifuna and Babu are legitimate delegates by virtue of their positions within the party and government.
“Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino are members of the National Delegates Convention (NDC); Sifuna, by virtue of being a Senator of Nairobi, is a delegate at that NDC. Babu, by virtue of being a member of NEC and also MP for Embakasi, is a delegate at that NDC,” she said.
Wanga downplayed fears of confrontation at the event, expressing optimism that the leaders would participate constructively.
“They are not necessarily going to storm; they can attend the NDC, and we hope they will attend the NDC. We lost our leader, and that is a serious matter. We are stabilizing as we move forward,” she added.
At the same time, Wanga acknowledged that differing opinions within the party are inevitable, but stressed the importance of maintaining cohesion.
“People can have different opinions, as in the case of Sifuna, they can do something different in the manner in which they are doing, but the party must stabilize. Some people will decide to leave, and you can’t stop them,” she further said.
Wanga also moved to clear confusion over a parallel NDC meeting, insisting that only one official NDC has been convened in line with the party’s constitution.
“There is only one NDC called in accordance with section 49 of our constitution, a special delegates conference, a 21-day notice given, delegates invited. It will be at Jamhuri Park; anything else would be maybe a kamukunji, a baraza, a political rally, a birthday party, but there is only one NDC of the ODM party that will be taking place this Friday,” she explained.
Wanga reiterated that the legitimacy of the NDC is grounded in the party’s constitutional framework, warning against attempts to mislead members and the public.
“The NDC is not something I wake up and say this is an NDC; it is called in line with the constitution of the party. Anybody else trying to spread confusion, it is only that, confusion,” she concluded.
This comes days after ODM dismissed reports claiming that the party has endorsed Babu for the position of Secretary General.
The clarification came amid widespread circulation of a purported newspaper notice suggesting that the party had scheduled a special delegates conference to approve leadership changes.
In a brief statement on Thursday, March 19, ODM leader Oburu Oginga denied the authenticity of the publication, distancing himself and the party from the notice.
“This publication is fake. As the Party Leader of ODM, I have not issued any such statement, and no such content has appeared in any newspaper,” he said.
The disputed notice, styled to resemble a page from a local newspaper, outlined an agenda for a Special National Delegates Conference set for March 27.
Among the items listed were proposals to create a new deputy party leader position for Winnie Odinga and the endorsement of Babu Owino as a candidate for Secretary General.
