ODM frames dialogue with UDA as strategy amid Sifuna controversy

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ODM Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Nassir has defended the party’s intention to engage the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), presenting it as a strategic, principled move--even as critics question the timing following the contentious removal of Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna.

In a statement on Thursday, the Mombasa Governor insisted that dialogue with UDA is “deliberate, transparent and anchored in the interests of our people."

He added that engagement is not surrender but strategy, and that discussion is not weakness but leadership.

The remarks come amid fallout from Sifuna’s removal by the party’s National Executive Committee, an action that drew criticism from some party members and supporters who saw it as abrupt and politically charged.

Mr Nassir’s statement appears aimed at reassuring the public and ODM’s base that the party remains steady, principled, and focused, even as internal turbulence sparked scrutiny.

“Our intention to engage UDA in dialogue is neither secretive nor reactive. It is deliberate, transparent and anchored in the interests of our people,” Nassir said.

He also addressed critics who have accused ODM of sudden political repositioning, noting that some politicians had long pursued alternative alliances.

“Let it also be said, without malice, that the political realignments of some of our friends did not begin yesterday. Some individuals charted their own individual paths long ago… quietly exploring arrangements with our competitors well before today’s public posturing.”

Governor Nassir stressed that ODM will not be drawn into theatrics and will continue building institutions, safeguarding its support base, and negotiating from a position of dignity and clarity.

“History has a way of exposing motives. Time reveals who sought unity in good faith and who merely sought an exit ramp. Our path is open, principled and accountable to the people, not to whispers in backrooms,” he said.