Rongo Member of Parliament Dalmas Otieno has said that streamlining the ODM party leadership in Luo region will not solve party wrangles.
Otieno said this barely a day after ODM party leadership held a consultative meeting in Homabay County on Saturday.
He told Orange party leader Raila Odinga to abandon active politics to allow the Luo community practice democracy.
Speaking in Rongo Constituency during the burial ceremony of his step mother Eucabeth Anyango, Dalmas blamed Odinga for politically undermining progressive politicians from Nyanza who have been viewed by the party as rebels.
He questioned Odinga’s style of governing the party which he criticised for allowing continued in-fighting within itself, an issue he said has seen the opposition scuttled.
The legislator blamed bad opposition politics for delayed development in the Nyanza region saying Odinga has outlived his usefulness and has nothing new to offer area residents since Luo Community has always remained in the opposition front for a long time because of the rebellious nature of its leaders.
He added that the Orange Party should not take a hard-liner stand on its leaders who are working with the government of the day.
With regard to the violence that was meted on Kapondo Kaspul MP Sylvance Osele on Friday in Odinga’s meeting at his constituency, Dalmas blamed hooliganism which he said is being propagated by a few party officials with selfish interests.
He said what was witnessed at Oyugis was very unfortunate and it can never be right for some leaders from Nyanza to brand their brothers as moles when they are on a mission to bring good things from the government for our people, yet the same critics were not having any
Otieno said that the party he plans to launch will dominate over any other party in the community and the country at large. He differed with the critics saying it was a wise idea to make Nyanza a multiparty region.
He wondered why the community kept on fighting reigning governments, making the region lose out on government agendas on development.
The legislator said Odinga’s motive to convene a political meeting on a day when Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero was fundraising for a worthy cause and the agenda of the meeting was to kick out those perceived to be sympathising with the ruling Jubilee Coalition.