That the embattled Migori Governor Okoth Obado is a pain in the neck for the ODM party is clear to all; that the party has tried to clip his wings, and recently, to push for his impeachment is well known to all and sundry; that the ODM functionaries who have been after Obado are acting on Raila’s behest is an unquestionable fact; that Obado somehow manages to survive is an unfolding mystery generating interest countrywide. Maybe it is time Raila stopped using proxies to push Obado out and and personally camped in Migori to ensure Obado is impeached once and for all?
Obado’s bitter-sweet relationship with ODM can be traced back to the 2013 governorship duel where despite losing the party’s certificate to Raila’s long-time friend and detention comrade Prof Oyugi, aObado would still march to victory through a little-known party. Fast forward to 2107, Obado would still outsmart ODM operatives and this time, beating them at their own game, in their own party; emerging victorious against the party’s preferred Ochillo Ayacko.
The image of ODM chair Jon Mbadi addressing Migori county ODM officials in the rain is both hilarious and saddening. The purpose of Mbadi’s passionate appeal wasn’t development related but beseeching the grassroot officials to help in the ouster of the Migori county boss after a failed attempt. Other than that, there had been several other meetings by the Migori Senator and ODM Minority Whip, all close confidants of Raila. Before all these, the ODM women’s brigade led by Homabay Woman Representative had tried unsuccessfully to sink Obado’s popularity with the Sharon murder case.
Is Obado the kind of adversary who is too strong for proxies and can only be shaken if the boss appears himself? If so, why hasn’t Raila taken a personal initiative to hit the final nail to the political coffin of a man he openly dislikes?
While the public is supposed to buy the lie that it is ODM’s constitution or beliefs that forces its officials to push Obado out and Raila is a powerless observer in all these, we know better and while Raila’s men hope the public can buy the lie that he has chosen not to meddle in petty domestic matters, it is evident that the fear of the unknown keeps Raila away from Migori.
Coming at a time when the new hustlers’ campaign has shaken Raila’s strongholds, imagine the damage that an embarrassment at Migori would mean for the ODM party supremo.
If Raila chooses to gets his hands dirty and dives into Migori to kill Obado’s political career, he will be dammed regardless of the outcome. If he successfully ensures Obado is impeached, he will have set the stage for dissenting murmurs; one cant easily write off the Migori governor. If Raila takes a personal drive and still flops, what an embarrassment that would be?
