The chances of opposition leader Raila Odinga endorsing Mombasa governor Hassan Joho for the top seat in the 2022 general election are high, political pundit Peter Ngure has said.
Ngure argues that Joho is likely to be Raila’s successor if the former Prime Minister does not contest in the 2022 general election.
In an interview on Thursday, Ngure said that compared to Raila’s allies Governor Joho has an upper hand in succeeding the former Prime Minister.
He said that Joho has established a deeper political connection with the ODM leader than any other politician.
“Joho is one of Raila trusted foot soldiers and chances of him succeeding the former prime minister are very high,” he said on Thursday.
The analyst further said that Joho has the zeal and aggressiveness on issues compared to other Raila’s foot soldiers.
“He (Joho) is a politician who you can count on in times of need,” the analyst added.
Ngure says that Joho’s presence at Raila Odinga’s mock swearing-in as the people’s president on January 30 was a big plus for the Mombasa governor.
“The Mombasa governor chose to stand with the former Prime Minister when his close allies had abandoned him on an important day (January 30) and that action only makes him the possible successor,” he said.
The analyst said that Raila could be working on his political exit as he shops for his successor.
He said that Raila’s handshakes could be a strategy to exit active politics. Governor Joho is Raila’s deputy and has declared an interest in the top seat in 2022. The vocal and flamboyant governor says he has what it takes to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.