In what political observers are calling a masterstroke of defiance, Secretary General Edwin Sifuna conspicuously skipped a critical Central Management Committee meeting chaired by interim Party Leader Dr. Oburu Oginga.
While Oburu officially claimed Sifuna and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi "missed their flights," the absence is widely interpreted as a tactical move to distance themselves from a new resolution authorizing formal 2027 coalition negotiations with President William Ruto’s UDA.
The meeting, which was meant to consolidate the party's "broad-based" cooperation with the government, effectively became a launchpad for the ODM-UDA 2027 alliance.
Oburu Oginga announced that the party organ had given him the mandate to officially begin structured talks for a pre-election pact with the president.
Sifuna’s absence allowed him to avoid being physically present for and thus appearing to endorse a move that many of his younger supporters view as a "trap" designed to swallow the opposition’s identity.
Sifuna’s refusal to attend the Kilifi retreat is rooted in his long-standing opposition to the government pact, which he previously declared "dead" after UDA allegedly dishonored a 10-point reform agreement.
The Nairobi Senator has hinted that if the party leadership forces an unconditional support of Ruto’s re-election, he will tender his resignation and help form an "alternative political front."
By staying away from Vipingo, Sifuna has maintained his political purity, positioning himself as the leader of the "principled" wing that refuses to enter the government through what Oburu himself admitted was the "back door."
The fallout follows a failed attempt to oust Sifuna, led by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, which was recently withdrawn after internal mediation.
While Oburu has publicly praised Sifuna as a "sober voice," the tension between the "Old Guard" represented by Oburu, Gladys Wanga, and Abdulswamad Nassir and the "Young Turks" is at a breaking point.
Sifuna is banking on his massive grassroots following in Nairobi and Western Kenya, realizing that his political survival depends on being a critic of the system rather than a "shareholder" in a potentially unpopular merger.
The Vipingo meeting has effectively split ODM into two distinct paths: one seeking stability and resources through a Ruto-Oburu partnership, and another seeking to remain a traditional opposition force under Sifuna and Babu Owino.
With Sifuna missing the "blind endorsement" trap, the party is now heading toward a National Delegates Convention (NDC) that will serve as the ultimate showdown.
As the roadmap matures, the "Vipingo Void" serves as a reminder that while the party's offices are in Nairobi, its soul is currently being fought for in a high-stakes game of strategic absence and public defiance.
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