Raila Odinga’s party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has downplayed Jimmy Wanjigi’s planned tour of the coast aimed at popularising his candidature ahead of the party primaries.
Kilifi ODM chairman and Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire termed Wanjigi’s tour of the coast as an ‘adventure’ saying that the ODM presidential ticket contender is not paying the much-needed attention to the party’s protocols in regards to presidential campaigns.
“I think he is on an adventure, if he has to come to meet delegates, he should have followed party procedures,” Mwambire said as quoted by the People Daily Digital.
Wanjigi who has announced plans to challenge his party leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the ODM presidential ticket is expected to tour the Coast region in the next three days.
During his tour, Wanjigi is expected to meet with 3,000 ODM delegates who are drawn from the counties of Kilifi, Mombasa, and Lamu.
Wanjigi’s tour of the coast comes at a time when ODM deputy party leader and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya had asked Wanjigi to shelve his presidential ambitions in favour of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Oparanya said it will be too hard for Wanjigi to defeat Raila Odinga at party primaries hence advised him to follow the path of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
“We want (Jimmy) Wanjigi to emulate us because I did the math, I looked at the situation and realised that I was not going to beat Raila (Odinga),” Oparanya said.
However, the politician-cum businessman insisted that the country needs a fresh crop of leaders calling for the opposition chief to hang his boots ahead of the 2022 General Election.
“We need fresh leadership in the party. My friend Raila Odinga is a hero of Kenya’s second liberation and we honour him for the sacrifices that he has made so far,” Wanjigi said.
