Embattled Migori Okoth Obado has skipped a meeting he was invited by his party, ODM at Chungwa House on Thursday.
The governor said he had received a short notice for the meeting but has since communicated with the party requesting the meeting to be rescheduled.
Obado noted that he recognized the need for dialogue since it is the “only way for better management of government affairs.”
“This should not be viewed as an act of defiance. The invite was a bit urgent when I had other engagements, but I have addressed this with the party,” he told Nation.
Obado further stated that ODM has enjoyed the full support of his county and nobody should antagonize him with the party
“Internal wars are, however, everywhere but we commit to addressing them. We want Jakom ( Raila ) to fight big wars and we are committed to helping him in that. For the local battles, we will sort them out ourselves,” Obado said.
According to a report by Nation, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said ODM would issue a statement on the same matter after the meeting.
“We have started our meeting and will issue a statement on this matter later,” Mr. Sifuna said.
It is reported that the party invited Obado for talks at Chungwa House in what some view could mark the end of his ouster bid.
ODM which had recommended the impeachment against the governor seems to be softening its stand after Raila Odinga last week hinted at a possible reconciliation with the governor.
On Wednesday, ODM National Chairman John Mbadi confirmed that indeed the Migori governor had been invited at Chungwa House for talks but did not give details of the meeting.
Sifuna said the governor reached out to the party to allow a possible reconciliation and talks regarding the governance of Migori county.
“Last weekend, the governor reached out to the party saying it was possible for him to address our concerns regarding service delivery to the people of Migori. We have acceded to his request and want to hear his plans,” Sifuna said.
Some MCAs hinted that the party has softened its stance after the planned impeachment proved a hard nut to crack.
Those close to the governor revealed that the rapprochement between the governor and the ODM leader was hatched at a meeting held in Kang’o Kajaramogi in Bondo, where Raila hosted a delegation from the Kikuyu community.
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- Okoth Obado is proving to be a hard nut to crack for ODM
Throughout his first term, Governor Obado skipped most of the meetings that brought Luo Nyanza leaders together prompting an accusation that he was DP Ruto’s supporter.
But when the 2017 General Election drew closer, Obado returned home and battled it out with Ochilo Ayako in the party primaries.
In his second term, Obado remained isolated from those who got close to him seen as against ODM. He distanced himself from the party, but after facing some cases in court, including the murder charge involving Rongo University student Sharon Otieno, the governor started drawing closer to Raila.
Related: ‘Migori is ODM Damu’ Obado Declares As He Tries To Seduce Raila To Drop Impeachment Bid
