Oburu reveals ODM’s plan to officially exit Azimio
By Aloys Michael, February 11, 2026Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Odinga has said the outfit will officially exit the Azimio coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.
This comes days after the coalition party made changes, including appointing Wiper Patriotic Front boss Kalonzo Musyoka as its leader. a role he has accepted as the opposition beefs up its camp for the upcoming showdown.
Speaking on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, before the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in Mombasa, the Siaya senator scoffed at what he called an intrusion in ODM’s affairs, saying that the faction had left Azimio a long time ago, and soon it will be formalised.
“I want to condemn what I have observed, that is, the interference of other parties in our party affairs. This thing called Azimio. We are the Azimio. The strongest party in Azimio was ourselves, as ODM. There is nobody who can make decision in Azimio without the concurrence of ODM,” he quipped.
“ODM was dead when we left. We left it a long time ago. It is only a formality which we have not performed, which we are going to perform very soon.”
Oburu has maintained that ODM is keen to solidify its turf amid talks with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), which President William Ruto is courting to cement his reelection bid.
Meanwhile, the outfit’s Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi snubbed the NEC meeting.
Kalonzo accuses State House
Oburu’s onslaught comes days after Kalonzo accused State House of blocking the official publication of leadership changes in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
In a post on X on February 7, 2026, he stated that the interference came despite the appointments being legally processed and already reported by local newspapers.
“Philip Kisia (Executive Director), Caroli Omondi (Secretary General), and myself, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (Party Leader) were legally appointed. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties accepted our changes. Local dailies published them last week. The Kenya Gazette was scheduled to publish on Friday, February 6, 2026. Then came the interference,” Kalonzo wrote.
The leadership changes followed a meeting of the Azimio Coalition Council and National Executive Committee on February 2, 2026, chaired by the fourth President, Uhuru Kenyatta. The coalition announced Kalonzo as the new party leader, replacing the late Raila Odinga, who died in October 2025.
Suba MP Caroli Omondi took over as Secretary General from Junet Mohamed, while former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia became Executive Director.
The Registrar of Political Parties processed and approved the updates. Newspapers reported the changes, but publication in the Kenya Gazette is the final official step under the Political Parties Act. Kalonzo claims State House intervened to stop the Government Printer from publishing the changes.
“When State House can arbitrarily stop the publication of legally constituted political party leadership, it’s not just AZIMIO under attack, it’s Kenya’s multiparty democracy itself,” he said.
Kalonzo linked the interference to a pattern of undermining opposition parties.
“Ruto has consistently undermined opposition parties and coalitions. This is yet another example of using state machinery to weaken political competition rather than competing on ideas and track record,” he added.