Abdulswamad says ODM ready to give Ruto its 2027 ticket if UDA rebels, wants Joho as DP

Abdulswamad says ODM ready to give Ruto its 2027 ticket if UDA rebels, wants Joho as DP - President William Ruto and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir during a past meeting. Abdulswamad says ODM is ready to give Ruto its presidential ticket in 2027 but wants Hassan Joho as his running mate. (Photo: Facebook/Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir)

The Mombasa governor says ODM will back Ruto’s re-election but insists the deputy presidency should go to the Orange party, with Hassan Joho emerging as its preferred candidate.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is prepared to give President William Ruto its presidential ticket in the 2027 General Election if he faces opposition from within his United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Mombasa Governor and ODM Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir has said, while throwing his weight behind former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho for the deputy presidency.

Abdulswamad said ODM had agreed to support Ruto’s re-election bid but would demand the deputy presidency in return. He added that the party could offer the President its own presidential ticket if he encountered resistance from within UDA.

“We have made a decision that William Samoei Ruto is our choice for the presidency. But even then, the Deputy President will be from ODM,” Abdulswamad said.

He added: “If the President is being troubled by his own people in UDA, we can also give him the ODM ticket.”

The governor said he had personally campaigned for Joho, now the Cabinet Secretary for Mining, to be considered as Ruto’s running mate, claiming the former Mombasa governor was also gaining support in other parts of the country.

“For us, it is not just the Coast region; it is many parts of the country. I have personally advocated for Hassan Joho to be the Deputy President. And it is not just me. In many areas I have visited, I have heard his name come up when people are asked who they would vote for,” he said.

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Abdulswamad’s remarks come amid growing demands by ODM leaders for the deputy president’s position in the 2027 elections as the party seeks to secure a prominent role in Ruto’s re-election campaign.

The push has also been accompanied by calls for ODM to be recognised as an equal partner in the broad-based government rather than being treated as a junior partner in the administration.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has been among those pushing for greater recognition of the party, arguing that both ODM and UDA form the government, with Ruto serving as President.

Speaking at a thanksgiving event in Samburu on September 6, Junet said neither party should claim sole ownership of the government.

“The government parties now are UDA and ODM. Nobody should say UDA alone is the government; ODM is also in government,” Junet said.

He maintained that the arrangement involved two political parties serving under one President and that ODM deserved recognition for its contribution to the political partnership ahead of the next election.

The party reiterated its position during an ODM gathering in Garissa on October 18, where leaders reaffirmed their support for Ruto’s re-election while insisting on securing the deputy presidency.

ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga said the party had agreed to concede the presidency but would field candidates for other elective positions under its own ticket.

She also maintained that ODM’s support for Ruto was conditional on the implementation of agreements between the two parties, including commitments to equitable development associated with the late party leader Raila Odinga.

Junet has also argued that UDA cannot secure victory in the 2027 elections on its own and would need ODM’s support to retain power.

The latest remarks highlight ODM’s efforts to strengthen its bargaining position within the broad-based government as differences persist over the terms of the political partnership and the leadership arrangements for the next election.

Joho’s possible elevation to the deputy presidency would also place one of the Coast region’s most prominent political figures at the centre of the 2027 succession debate.