Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Dr Oburu Odinga has said the party will not field a presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election, revealing that it has resolved to support President William Ruto's bid for a second and final term under the ongoing coalition negotiations.
Speaking as talks between ODM and the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance gather pace, Dr Oburu said the party had made a strategic decision to back President Ruto instead of presenting its own presidential candidate.
"ODM will not field a presidential candidate in the next General Election. We have resolved to support President William Ruto for a second term," Dr Oburu said.
His remarks are likely to ignite fresh debate within the party, where senior leaders have publicly differed over ODM's political future and whether it should remain in the opposition or formally align itself with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Dr Oburu's declaration comes despite repeated statements by several senior ODM leaders insisting that the party has not made any decision on its 2027 presidential candidate.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who is also the ODM Secretary-General, has consistently maintained that the party remains independent and that only ODM's constitutional organs can decide who the party will support in the next General Election.
"ODM has not resolved to support any presidential candidate for 2027. Such a decision can only be made by the party through its established structures," Mr Sifuna has said on several occasions.
Mr Sifuna has also defended his criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration, insisting that cooperation between ODM and the government should not be interpreted as a merger or the dissolution of the party's identity.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has been even more outspoken, repeatedly urging ODM not to abandon its oversight role despite the broad-based arrangement between President Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
"Our responsibility is to speak for the people. We cannot keep quiet when Kenyans are suffering simply because we are cooperating with the government," Mr Orengo has said.
The governor has argued that ODM must remain faithful to its founding ideals of defending constitutionalism, accountability and social justice, warning against blind support for any administration.
Political analysts say the contrasting positions expose growing divisions within ODM as the party charts its future following Raila Odinga's rapprochement with President Ruto.
The broad-based cooperation between the two leaders has already seen several ODM politicians appointed to government positions, while Parliament has witnessed increased collaboration between Kenya Kwanza and ODM legislators on key legislation.
Should ODM formally endorse President Ruto, it would mark a historic shift for a party that has fielded or supported a presidential candidate in every General Election since its formation in 2005.
The announcement is also expected to reshape opposition politics, with rival leaders seeking to assemble an alternative coalition to challenge President Ruto in 2027.
Neither the ODM National Executive Committee nor the National Delegates Convention has publicly announced a resolution endorsing President Ruto's re-election bid.
