Kwani hamjui jokes? ODM Makes U-Turn Says Raila Did not Apply for 2022 Presidential Ticket

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has released a new statement noting that former Prime Minister Raila odinga did not apply for the 2022 presidential ticket as earlier indicated.

In a statement signed by the party’s Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, ODM noted that the earlier announcement was a prank as April 1 is Fool’s Day.

In the Thursday statement, ODM announced that Raila, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya had expressed interest in the party’s 2022 presidential ticket.

However, the party now says Odinga was not part of the applicants, adding that the former Premier’s focus is not on 2022 election but the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Constitutional Amendment push.

Here’s the new statement from ODM:

CLARIFICATION ON APPLICATIONS FOR THE PARTY PRESIDENTIAL TICKET 2022

Politics can be serious business. Politics is serious business every day of the calendar. Except April 1st. We took the liberty of joining in the days pranks with our communication yesterday knowing well our friends in media and politics would not know better.

We see many, especially our political opponents swallowed it hook line and sinker. They came out guns blazing, frothing at the mouth, at an April fools misdirection. You need to lighten up, friends. It’s never that serious.

So here is the position. Raila Odinga Did NOT apply for the Party’s ticket. His long held position is that he will not discuss 2022 until after the BBI process is done.

At the close of the Application period, the Party received only two Applications from Hon. Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya and Hon Ali Hassan Joho.

These will be processed in the usual manner by the National Elections Board.