“No One Is Bigger Than the Party” Oburu Odinga Hits Back at Sifuna

ODM party leader Oburu Odinga with party Secretary General Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Saturday, October 18, 2025.

ODM Party leader Oburu Odinga has launched a scathing attack on the party’s Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, over claims questioning the legitimacy of ODM’s current leadership.

In a strongly worded letter issued on Friday, Oburu accused Sifuna of contradiction and reminded him that “no one is bigger than the party.” He said the Secretary General had recently blurred the line between personal opinions and official party positions, creating confusion among ODM members and supporters.

The Siaya Senator took issue with remarks by Sifuna suggesting that Oburu was not duly elected as party leader. Oburu dismissed the claims, insisting that all current ODM officials are legitimately in office and serving with the backing of resolutions passed by party organs.

“ODM has, since its inception, demonstrated fidelity to its Constitution and to the rule of law. The same principle has put every individual in their rightful position, including that of Sen. Sifuna,” Oburu stated. “We want to state categorically that all party officials are serving substantially and are supported by party organ resolutions.”

Oburu further pointed out what he termed as inconsistency on Sifuna’s part, noting that the Secretary General himself previously served in the position after being elected by the National Governing Council before later being endorsed by the National Delegates Convention (NDC).

“When Sifuna questioned the legality of some national officials, he overlooked a fundamental fact: he himself was elected SG by the same organ in February 2018 and discharged the functions of that office until February 2022, when the NDC subsequently endorsed him,” Oburu said.

Despite the sharp rebuke, Oburu did not indicate whether the party was considering disciplinary action against Sifuna, even as internal divisions within ODM continue to widen.

The party remains split between factions supporting Sifuna’s position that ODM should chart an independent political path and those pushing for closer cooperation with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Sifuna has maintained that he will not resign as Secretary General, despite raising concerns that ODM is allegedly being funded by the government, which he says would be unlawful.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV earlier this week, he insisted that his position can only be vacated through a delegates’ conference, which he says should be convened to chart the party’s direction amid growing wrangles.

Meanwhile, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, Oburu’s sister, has come to Sifuna’s defence. On Thursday, she raised concerns over the proposed pre-election agreement between ODM and UDA, arguing that the Secretary General should not be labelled a rebel for expressing dissenting views.

Drawing parallels with the late Raila Odinga’s political approach, Ruth said Sifuna’s stance reflected principled leadership.

“If indeed he is a ‘rebel’, then how many times was Raila Odinga one? Even in the ‘nusu mkate’ government, Raila would still stand his ground,” she said. “If the MoU has not been honoured, with less than 30 days to its expiry, what is so ‘treasonous’ about declaring it obsolete?”