ODM Open to Ruto Picking Gladys Wanga as 2027 Running Mate, Says Nassir

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has come out to clarify rumours suggesting that Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga could be President William Ruto’s running mate in 2027.

Speaking during an interview on Monday, Mombasa Governor and ODM Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Nassir dismissed claims that the party had already endorsed Wanga for the position.

He explained that such a move would only be possible if she personally expressed interest and the party’s leadership organs approved it.

“If Wanga wanted to be Deputy President, she would first need to come forward and declare her interest. The decision would then be discussed by the party’s Central Management Committee,” Nassir said.

He noted that the final decision would depend on strategy, numbers, and political balance across regions.

According to him, ODM will evaluate several possible leaders based on their popularity and ability to strengthen the party ahead of the next General Election.

Nassir also made it clear that Wanga has not expressed any interest in the deputy president role.

“She is doing a good job in Homa Bay, and as far as I know, she hasn’t mentioned anything about such ambitions,” he stated.

At the same time, Nassir said he was not personally interested in the position and would rather focus on serving the people of Mombasa.

He emphasized that the issue of a running mate was not among ODM’s top priorities at the moment.

“Our main focus now is reorganising the party and realigning our plans after the passing of our long-time leader, Raila Odinga,” he explained.

Nassir further clarified that ODM was not in a coalition agreement with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

He said that the party was only participating in the broad-based government arrangement that was agreed upon earlier this year.

“There is no crisis in ODM. We are part of the Broad-Based Government, but that does not mean we have a coalition with UDA. Future cooperation will depend on the success of our 10-point agreement,” he said.

ODM’s Central Committee was expected to meet later on Monday to discuss important matters, including the upcoming by-elections, ODM’s 20th anniversary, and the review of its cooperation agreement with the ruling alliance. The meeting was to be chaired by acting party leader Oburu Odinga.