EALA MP Winnie Odinga has urged ODM leaders to allow party members to determine the party's 2027 presidential direction, saying supporters deserve "the opportunity of choice" rather than decisions driven by individual political interests.
Her remarks come at a time when sections of the ODM leadership have publicly backed President William Ruto's re-election bid, even as debate continues within the party over whether it should field its own presidential candidate or support the incumbent.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Winnie said ODM had not yet made a decision on its presidential candidate or whether it would support Ruto in the 2027 General Election, insisting the matter would be settled through the party's National Delegates Convention later this year.
"I think the party needs to let the people decide and pick and listen to what the people and supporters want," she said.
She warned against internal manoeuvring by leaders pursuing personal political interests instead of reflecting the wishes of ordinary members.
"I think there's a lot of briefcase carrying and a lot of shuffling about as people are searching for self-survival, and therefore the will of the people might not be the priority for some operatives," she said.
Asked what party members wanted, Winnie replied: "The members want opportunity of choice."
She also declined to state whether ODM should endorse President Ruto's re-election bid, saying no individual leader could make that decision on behalf of the party.
"It's the Orange Democratic Movement. I can't speak for all the members. The members must speak for themselves, and that's where the National Convention comes in," she said.
Her comments contrast with recent statements by ODM leader Oburu Oginga, who announced that the party would not field a presidential candidate in 2027 and would instead support President Ruto for a second term as part of the broad-based coalition arrangement.
"In this coalition that we are negotiating. We already know this time around ODM will not field a candidate. So, we are going to support President William Ruto for the second term," Oburu said during a church fundraiser at St. Pascal's Chiga Catholic Church in Homa Bay Town on July 12,2026.
ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga also defended the party's cooperation with Ruto's administration, saying the broad-based arrangement reflects ODM's strategic interests. She has maintained that the party's priority is supporting Ruto's second-term bid while negotiating from a position of strength within the coalition.
During the interview, Winnie was also asked whether her late father, Raila Odinga, would have contested the presidency in 2027 had he been alive.
She said it remained a possibility, suggesting he could have reconsidered if he believed he could respond to growing public dissatisfaction.
"If you look at the situation today and perhaps dissatisfaction of the people or the slow pace of development... he may possibly have entered the race if he thought he could remedy that. I think he could do more," she said.