Raila Odinga’s ODM party has finally resolved to formally withdraw from the National Super Alliance coalition (NASA) following months of infighting with partner political parties.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, July 29, Party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the ODM party will write to the Registrar of Political Parties communicating its decision to exit the four-year-old coalition.
“We still hold that NASA is the past. To further demonstrate this point, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has today resolved to formally exit the NASA coalition,” he said.
Sifuna who was speaking shortly after Party’s NEC meeting attended by party leader Raila Odinga, said the ODM party is in the process of courting future friends ahead of the 2022 election.
“The NEC has further deliberated on the future of the party and it needs to make new friends,” he added.
On his part, ODM leader Raila Odinga said he was impressed by the team’s enthusiasm in promoting the party’s social justice agenda by exiting the troublesome NASA coalition.
“I am impressed by the team’s enthusiasm in promoting our party’s social justice agenda. We shall now embark on a new, inclusive and futuristic political trajectory,” he said.
The exit of ODM from the once most powerful coalition makes it the third party to officially call it a quit after Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC and Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement.
The NASA coalition has been embroiled in disputes with its co-principals over the 2022 presidential flag bearer and the political parties’ fund.
It is understood that the other NASA partners had accused ODM leader Raila Odinga of being selfish and dishonest.
It was earlier believed Raila Odinga’s recent concession to the request by other NASA partners to share the KSh 489 million political parties fund with other NASA affiliates was a last-minute effort to keep its opposition partners within the coalition.
ODM Secretary General however dismissed this assertion saying the party now wants to focus on the future.
Kalonzo Musyoka, who has already formed the One Kenya Alliance, bringing together Gideon Moi (KANU), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), and Moses Wetang’ula of Ford Kenya welcomed Raila Odinga to join them ahead of the 2022 elections.
“We had a very useful engagement as the Wiper Democratic Movement and reached an agreement to exit NASA to welcome a new formidable coalition- One Kenya Alliance,” he said.
However, according to Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, Raila Odinga’s joining the One Kenya Alliance will mean that the coalition would be a reincarnated NASA coalition.
