ODM now dismisses claims of Ababu ouster

ODM Secretary General Ababu Namwamba

Lawyer Edwin Sifuna has declared himself the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) secretary general.

He made the declaration yesterday at the party's headquarters in Orange House, saying that incumbent Secretary General Ababu Namwamba has been missing in action for far too long.

However, the party's top brass dismissed Sifuna's claims. In a statement, ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong'wen said that there was no vacancy in the SG's office and condemned Sifuna's pronouncements, describing them as reckless.

"The party has a constitution that lays out procedures guided by the Political Parties' Act that all members must adhere to. Let our party members ignore such an unconstitutional antics," said Ong'wen.

Sifuna said Ababu had not been seen in the office for the last six months and had been inactive for the last two years.

"Duties of the SG are not just in name alone, there has to be action. We need someone who can push the ideology and agenda of the party forward," he said.

Sifuna said he has every right to take up the office, as the party's youthful members and leaders are willing to propel the party.

"There is something called absence without leave even in the military when a junior officer takes up the responsibilities of his senior. He clearly knows that," he said. Sifuna chairs ODM's dispute resolution committee.

Ababu could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press.

There have been questions surrounding Ababu's conspicuous absence in ODM affairs, especially during the anti-Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) demonstrations, with loud murmurs of his exit from the party.

The Budalang'i MP has given the protests a wide berth, raising more questions about the loyalty of the once fiery ODM legislator from Western Kenya, one of the party's strongholds.

On Thursday, a lobby group calling itself ODM professionals led by Sifuna and ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa dared Ababu to quit the party.

Aladwa said there were plenty of Luhya leaders "hungrily" waiting to take up Ababu's position immediately he quits. He said that they are not in the business of "begging people".

"People come and go, but a party has to continue serving its people. Seeing that we are less than 12 months to the elections, we cannot afford to have a party SG who cannot take up his responsibilities seriously," said Sifuna yesterday.