'No expulsions, but no chaos': Oburu Oginga draws line amid ODM divisions

His remarks followed an appeal by Winnie Odinga, daughter of the late Raila Odinga, who urged the party to embrace dialogue rather than perceivably force members who hold contrary opinions out.

Speaking during the ODM Linda Ground Special Delegates Convention (SDC) at Jamhuri Grounds on Friday, Dr. Oburu said the party would embrace unity as a core value while remaining grounded in democratic principles.

"I want to tell my daughter here, Winnie, that we are not going to expel people. We're going to be a party of including people and asking them to come in," he stated.

"But we're also going to maintain democratic principles because we're a democratic party that has structures. Democracy does not mean chaos."

However, he cautioned members against defying party positions, warning that those who oppose decisions ratified by party organs risk losing their eligibility to hold leadership roles.

"You cannot continue to serve in the position of the party if you continue to oppose the positions taken by the majority. If you're strong enough, you should convince your colleagues so that you can have the majority in those committees. If you don’t convince them, ni shauri yako," he noted. 

"I will not encourage indiscipline in the party because democracy does not mean chaos."

Oburu further revealed that ODM will form a technical team to initiate negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 General Election.

"We are starting our negotiations to prepare ourselves for next year. Where ODM has MCAs, MPs, Women Reps, Senators and Governors, those positions are non-negotiable. We will form a technical team to start the negotiations," he said.

He also dismissed claims that the party had been “auctioned” to President William Ruto.

"Those people who are saying ODM has been bought, how can ODM be bought? At my age, can somebody buy me and how much?" he posed.

The remarks come amid a deepening split within ODM, which was on full display as rival factions held parallel conventions on Friday.

The Linda Mwananchi faction branded its gathering the ‘People’s NDC’ and vowed to press on with its push to unseat President Ruto in the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, the Linda Ground faction proceeded to ratify resolutions adopted by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), among them the approval and endorsement of Dr. Oburu as the substantive party leader.