President Museveni has reportedly agreed to support a faction of Uganda People’s Congress led by Jimmy Akena in its bid to maintain a slot in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Reliable sources close to Akena told The Observer that the two sides have been exchanging correspondences on the issue and reached a tentative agreement last week.
“Museveni has assured us that he will convince NRM MPs to support our candidate because NRM has the majority of MPs in parliament,” the source said.
Akena’s group wants Museveni to help them leverage these numbers to UPC’s advantage.
There were no face-to-face meetings, the source said, but Museveni and the Lira municipality MP communicated through emissaries. One of Akena’s emissaries was Edward Ssegane, the secretary general of his faction. However, in an interview yesterday, Ssegane denied that there had been any deal between UPC and NRM over EALA.
“We do not need to negotiate about EALA because UPC as a party with MPs in parliament deserves to have a member in EALA,” Ssegane said.
Akena declined to comment about the report.
“I don’t want to discuss anything. Go back to your sources and they tell you everything,” Akena said on Tuesday, before he hung up.
At the moment, Chris Opoka-Okumu is UPC’s representative in EALA. Opoka-Okumu made it to the regional parliament after FDC boycotted the EALA elections in 2012, contesting the local formula of allocating slots amongst political parties.
FDC, which had been allocated two slots, wanted three. This was opposed by other opposition groups in parliament such as UPC and the Democratic Party, which also sought to have representatives in the EALA.
With FDC likely to participate in EALA elections in April next year, there have been fears that UPC could lose its slot. This, according to our sources, is what necessitated the new deal between Akena’s group and Museveni.
OPEN COMPETITION
Opoka-Okumu has already said he will seek re-election for another five years and had, initially, secured the assurance of Akena that he will be supported. However, sources said the situation has changed and in a recent meeting, it was agreed that the position be opened up to competition.
Sources told us there are those who say the incumbent has not done enough to sell the party’s ideals and position at the regional platform. Last week, the party started receiving bids from prospective candidates.
Ssegane said yesterday that unlike 2012 when the UPC caucus in parliament selected the candidates, this time the process will be handled by the relevant party organs.
Besides Opoka, other people who have expressed interest in the seat are Dennis Adim Enap, an aide to Akena; Orach Osinde, the spokesman of the Akena faction; Henry Chombo and Okio Olal, a former banker.
Akena’s UPC and NRM agreed to work together during the 2016 election campaigns. As a result of this agreement, Museveni appointed Betty Amongi, Akena’s wife, as minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development this year.
However, the arrangement has sparked a backlash from party supporters, including a faction led by Olara Otunnu who stepped down last year as party president.
Otunnu chose Joseph Bossa to act as president and organise elections. Over the weekend in Lira, youths shouted down Akena when he stormed a meeting that had been organised by Julius Ocen, the MP for Kapelebyong in Amuria district. Ocen is eyeing the UPC presidency.
ekiggundu@observer.ug
