Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) acting party leader Oburu Oginga has dismissed calls to remove Edwin Sifuna from his position as Secretary General.
Speaking on Sunday, November 2, Oginga said this is not the time for any ODM member to be ousted.
He emphasized the need for unity within the party, noting that every member has an important role to play.
“This is not the time to talk about the ouster of any ODM member. This is the time to bring unity in the party, and we need all members, including Sifuna, and he is in my view doing a good job,” said Oginga.
The Siaya Senator also defended Sifuna’s remarks regarding the broad-based government and the 2027 General Election, noting that they reflect the official party position.
“When Edwin Sifuna said whatever he said, he was within his rights to say so because that is the correct position of the matter; he is not isolated. How can you be isolated when I am telling that is the position?” Oginga posed.
This comes days after ODM Youth League politician, Kasmuel McOure, challenged Sifuna to resign from his position as the party’s Secretary-General.
Speaking on Tuesday, October 21, McOure dared Sifuna to step down if he feels ODM no longer aligns with his principles.
“Edwin Sifuna, if you think you are enough of a legislator, if you think you are man enough, and if ODM seems too retrogressive for you, then resign from the mandate that you were given,” he said.
On October 19, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei called for the ouster of Sifuna as ODM Secretary General, accusing him of undermining the party’s cooperation with President William Ruto’s administration.
Senator Cherargei claimed that Sifuna poses the greatest obstacle to ODM’s political growth and future prospects, demanding his ouster by the end of 2025.
“The entire ODM leadership, except Sifuna, has confirmed that Baba Raila Odinga instructed them to stay and work with President Ruto’s administration under the broad-based government,” Cherargei stated.
The Nandi Senator went further, labeling Sifuna as ‘a mole of the united opposition in ODM, suggesting that the Nairobi Senator’s stance contradicts the party’s official position on working with the government.
“The biggest threat to the growth of ODM, whether to be in government or to form government in the future, is Sifuna and company. By the end of this year, 2025, he must be removed from ODM as Secretary General,” Cherargei declared.
