Cord principal Raila Odinga has welcomed Deputy President William Ruto to join the coalition.
Raila said he is ready to work with any like minded leader who was willing to join him in uniting Kenyans.
Speaking during a rally in Msambweni on Thursday, the ODM party chair said leaders like Musalia Mudavadi and Martha Karua were also welcomed to work with the coalition.
“In Cord, we never lock anyone out as long as they share in our vision for a better Kenya. If any leader including the deputy president is interested in working with Cord, then we can't object,” said Odinga.
On their part, Cord leaders from the Coast asked Ruto to support Raila Odinga’s bid for presidency in next year general election, if he has the ambition to ascend to power in 2022.
Led by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, the leaders said the deputy president's chances of becoming the president while in Jubilee are slim.
Joho said that as Cord, they were ready to work with Ruto if he joined hands with them in next year polls.
‘Although they want to make Ruto believe that he has their support in 2022, they are using the likes of senator Njoroge and Kiambu Governor William Kabogo to taste the ground before they can discard him officially,” said Joho.
Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya called upon Ruto to reconsider the offer, and urged him to avoid working blindly with Jubilee.
“The writings are all over the wall for Ruto to see that it is impossible for him to win the 2022 elections while in Jubilee, because he will not be supported by the tyranny of numbers architects,” said Mvurya.