Raila’s aide dismisses media story on opposition chief’s interest in 2022 presidency
Media reports indicating that Nasa leader Raila Odinga is keen on making another stab at the presidency in 2022, have been refuted by a close confidant of the former Prime Minister.
This after a leading local mainstream newspaper on Sunday published a story attributed to Senator James Orengo saying that Mr Odinga will be in the presidential race in the next poll.
The paper also reported that Mr Odinga, who has unsuccessfully contested the presidency on four occasions, on Saturday during a public function in Migori county said that he not retiring from politics any time soon.
But while reacting to the report, Mr Odinga’s private secretary Dennis Onyango has categorically stated that the former Prime Minister is not interested in the politics of 2022.
SUCCESSION POLITICS
“Raila Odinga appeals to Kenyans to consider the views published (by the paper) as those of the people expressing them and not his,” Mr Onyango said in a statement sent to media houses on Sunday.
“H.E Odinga further appeals to Kenyans to stay focused on the critical issues contained in the Building Bridges project and healing the nation,” he further said.
Mr Onyango added that if and when Mr Odinga will want to communicate something different to the country, other than his current efforts of building bridges to unite Kenyans, he would do so personally and directly on an open national forum.
These developments come as the succession politics of 2022 continues to gather momentum with some political players at the same time agitating for constitutional reforms aimed at restructuring the executive before the next polls.