City billionaire Jimi Wanjigi wants to snatch the leadership of ODM from Raila.

City billionaire Jimi Wanjigi wants to snatch the leadership of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) from Mr Raila Odinga, which is the latest change in Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor policy.

Mr Wanjigi’s entry comes at a time when the party is also trying to negotiate a coalition agreement with President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party, ahead of the 2022 general election.

“I will run for the ODM ticket and I will face Raila Odinga, and this will be my presidential ticket,” Wanjigi told Nation.

“As a lifelong member of ODM, I have what it takes to lead a party and a country in the future.”

Considering one of the election financiers and the political coordinator of the last two parliamentary elections, Mr. Wanjigi’s announcement to apply for an ODM ticket could scatter the feathers within the party.

This week, a video showing the publication of some of Wanjigi’s products spread – an indication that the man who clashed with Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto shortly after campaigning is seriously considering getting involved in politics.

Mount Kenya Lots
In addition, should he be able to exclude Mr Odinga from the race, the conduct of the upcoming elections will be difficult for Vice President William Ruto, who sought nearly nine million votes from Mount Kenya.

For the past three years, Ruto politicians have targeted Mr Odinga as a man of hatred in their attempt to advertise him in the densely populated Mount Kenya region.

Political analysts believe that divisions in the Mount Kenya region will favor the ODM candidate. With Mr Wanjigi coming from the region, whether he gets a share of the vote in the Mount Kenya region will depend on who the political leaders he is influencing with him – and how he is valued locally.

Mount Kenya is already overcrowded. Among those who have expressed interest are President Justin Muturi and Governor of Murang’a Mwangi of Iria.

When asked about the reception he was given for his candidacy, especially among Mr Odinga’s supporters in Nyanza, Mr Wanjigi replied: “They know me. I have been with leaders and supporters of ODM through difficult and narrow. So I am not a stranger within ODM.

In October last year, when Mr Wanjigi was greeted by Mr Odinga as a fundraiser in Bondo, he challenged Mount Kenya communities to join the ODM and predicted that political unrest would end.

Hiring followers
But before getting a party ticket, Herculean’s role ahead is to recruit supporters across the country – and who will elect members to vote for the head of the torch and ODM.

On July 1, ODM launched a mass recruitment campaign and waived a registration fee of 100 shillings in the hope of adding more supporters to its register and organizing a party for the election of officers and delegates, who would later elect a presidential candidate.

It is in the delegation war that Mr Wanjigi hopes to win an ODM ticket, although it is unclear whether Mr Odinga wants to remain in the ODM party leadership or whether he will run for a fifth term. .

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his Mombasa counterpart Ali Hassan Joho have also expressed interest.

In the last general election, Mr Wanjigi played a key role in raising funds and in the election petition that led to Kenyatta’s election being annulled by the Supreme Court. He was also involved in protests following the boycott of the vote and a strategy against Jubilee.

“Hold hands”
But, according to sources, he was left out in the “handshake” talks that led to the Bridge Construction Program. It was the first time he was excluded from a major political event.

Seen as a key sponsor and strategist during Mr Odinga’s last presidential campaign, Mr Wanjigi’s candidacy will add a new dimension to 2022 politics given his political and financial strength.

For Odinga, this will be the first time that he has faced a major challenge within the party, which received strong support in Nyanza, Coast, West and Nairobi in the last elections. If this support, without Mr Odinga, continues or if you are also eligible it will be the next head.

Interestingly, there has been little interest in the ODM presidential ticket. In January, when the party asked ODM members interested in running for the 2022 presidential election to apply, neither Mr Odinga nor Mr Wanjigi submitted their candidacy. It is Mr. Only Joho and Oparanya have set their sights on it.

If Mr Wanjigi manages to exclude Mr Odinga from the competition, it will be interesting to see how the election plays out due to his political and business networks over the past 20 years.

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