UPC releases 2016 roadmap

Apr 10, 2015

A timetable of activities aimed at shaping the 2016 UPC political trajectory, which the party president Olara Otunnu thinks will defuse the divisions at Uganda House, has been released.

By David Lumu

A timetable of activities aimed at shaping the 2016 UPC political trajectory, which the party president Olara Otunnu thinks will defuse the divisions at Uganda House, has been released.

In a letter to the UPC national chairman, Prof. Edward Kakonge, the party has set April 10-17 as the deadline for receiving applications for presidential candidates, set aside May 23 and June 8 as campaign period for selected presidential candidates and June 10-12 as dates for holding the national council and the delegates conference.

“In conformity with the provision of Article 13.3 (2) of the party constitution, I have the honour to advise that the National Council be convened for a session to be held on June 10-11, 2015,” Otunnu wrote.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the party headquarters in Kampala, Otunnu said that his letter to Kakonge has kick-started the journey for clear 2016 political agenda for the party—and that all those who had resorted to court for redress must “immediately withdraw” the case.

“These actions and timetable have been set in motion in the full expectation that the party members who have imposed a court injunction on the party, shall assume their responsibility, and take the necessary steps to immediately withdraw this injurious, self-inflicted tether on the party,” he said.

Otunnu’s pronouncement comes at a time when UPC is waking a tight political rope with internal pressure brewing on one hand and a court injunction on party activities on the other.

While Otunnu is pleading for reason to prevail so that a court injunction is withdrawn to clear the way for the party activities, those who are baying for his political blood are unmoved.

Early this year, court issued the injunction after party members; Jimmy Akena (Lira Municipality MP) Edward Rurangaranga, and David Pulkol, petitioned challenging Otunnu’s presidency. The group accuses Otunnu of committing illegalities at the party.

Yet Otunnu, who on March 4 announced that he will not be seeking re-election as party president, yesterday threw the ball in the Rurangaranga-Akena-Pulkol group.

 “There is nothing much to debate now. I have issued a notice calling for the national council and delegates meeting. The Akena-Pulkol group should now tell Ugandans and the UPC members what purpose they have by not withdrawing the injunction,” he said.

Pulkol and Akena couldn’t be reached yesterday but Betty Amongi, the Oyam South MP and UPC chief whip in Parliament, who vehemently supports the injunction crusade said that Otuunu is still acting illegally when he releases the time-table without first convening the national council.

“He is still acting illegally; the only organ supposed to issue a roadmap is the national council. We are only asking him to summon national council first, which will draft the electoral roadmap. Without the national council convening first, anything he does is null and void,” she said.

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