UPC starts negotiations with party defectors

Oct 09, 2018

“Am calling upon members like Imat Cecilia Atim Ogwal, Charles Angiro Gutumoi, B’leo Ojok, Ben Wacha, Daniel Omara Atubo and everybody who left the party because of past weaknesses within the party to come back and we negotiate so that we move forward as one,” Ebil said.

PIC:  UPC secretary general, Fred Ebil said there was massive exodus of UPC politicians to other political parties mostly Forum for Democratic Change while others decided to go independent in 2005 . Photo by Bonney Odongo

POLITICS

The Uganda People's Congress has embarked on   negotiations aimed at wooing back former party bigwigs who defected to the ruling party and other political parties due to the internal wrangles within the party.

The politicians that the party negotiators are targeting include Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament Cecilia Atim Ogwal, former Oyam North MP Ben Wacha and former Lands Minister Daniel Omara Atubo. Others are Erute North MP Charles Angiro Gutumoi, former Kyoga MP B'leo, Abdu Katuntu, Okupa Elija, Felix Okot Ogong and many others.

''There was massive exodus of UPC politicians to other political parties mostly Forum for Democratic Change while others decided to go independent in 2005 after they were rigged out in the party primary elections, while others like Okot Ogong left before 2005 because of other reasons."

For example in 2005, Cecilia Ogwal who is now a member of FDC was rigged out of Lira municipality primary elections to create political room for Milton Obote's son Jimmy Akena who had just returned from Zambia where he had spent years in exile.  

Addressing journalists at Pacific Grand Hotel in Lira on Sunday, UPC secretary general Fred Ebil said  he regrets the way those people left and how they are being treated wherever they are.

"Am calling upon members like Imat Cecilia Atim Ogwal, Charles Angiro Gutumoi, B'leo Ojok, Ben Wacha, Daniel Omara Atubo and everybody who left the party because of past weaknesses within the party to come back and we negotiate so that we move forward as one," Ebil said.

Ebil noted that the party has also initiated a negotiation with trustees of Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) which is the custodian of all UPC investments including Uganda House, a multi-billion storied building located on Kampala Road.

He said the negotiation between UPC and MOF will be mediated by Bishop Alfred Acur Okodi of West Lango Diocese, Justice Onegi Obel and others whose names would be made known later.

The negotiation with MOF is expected to bear positive outcome.

Efforts to get comments from the listed politicians on whether they would embrace this negotiation were futile as most of them had switched off their phones, while that of Cecilia Ogwal went through but she never answered the call.

However Mike Ogwal Achonga, the former UPC chairman for Lira district said any serious person like himself will never go back to UPC if Jimmy Akena is still the one leading because it is full of political bias.

"Like for my case, I had won the mayoral race for Lira Municipality but Akena did all he could to ensure that my votes went to a candidate of his choice," Ogwal said.

 

 

 

  

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