- ODM leadership has endorsed working with Ruto’s government
- Aladwa warns dissenting members to either align or step aside
- The move has exposed sharp divisions within the party
- Final direction likely to be settled at the upcoming delegates convention
ODM is walking into one of its most sensitive moments yet after Makadara MP George Aladwa came out strongly in support of working with President William Ruto, telling party members who are uncomfortable with the direction to step aside.
Speaking shortly after the ODM Central Committee meeting held in Kilifi, Aladwa said the party fully agrees with resolutions adopted there, including supporting a broad-based government.
His message was blunt and left little room for interpretation: ODM has made its decision, and members are expected to respect it.
According to Aladwa, ODM is guided by its constitution and official party organs, not individual emotions or online pressure. Once those organs speak, he said, loyalty and discipline should follow.
Anyone unable to align with the agreed position, he added, is free to make their own political choices.
The remarks have sparked serious debate within the Orange Democratic Movement, exposing a growing divide between those who believe engagement with the current government is practical and those who feel it risks weakening ODM’s identity as an opposition force.
Supporters of the new direction argue that cooperation could unlock development and influence, while critics fear it may alienate the party’s core supporters.
Aladwa, however, maintained that politics should be about results, not rigid positions. He insisted that working with the government should be judged by service delivery and impact on wananchi, not by labels of loyalty or betrayal.
With the ODM National Delegates Convention approaching, the conversation is only expected to grow louder. But for now, Aladwa’s stance has set a clear tone: the party has chosen engagement, and unity will be expected.
