DP Council Dismisses Ssemo

THE National Council of the Democratic Party (DP) resolved to relieve party president Dr. Paul Ssemogerere of his duties on yesterday, reports Charles Ariko. The council, composed of 36 members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and 45 district chairmen, also denounced the apparent alliance between the DP and Col. Kizza Besigye's camp. "Whatever he (Ssemogerere) does on a personal or individual level should not be associated with the DP," a statement issued yesterday said. The resolution was made at the end of a two-day workshop for the National Council members at Hotel Africana in Kampala. "The members of the National Council who are present in this workshop, namely 20 members of the NEC, 35 chairmen and 17 district representatives who attended the November 24, 2000 meeting, do endorse the decision to suspend Dr. Paul Ssemogerere as the party leader and fill the vacant post so created with Mr. Francis. W. Bwengye," the statement said. Earlier, Bwengye addressed a press conference at which he dispelled rumours that he was withdrawing from presidential race. "I want to erase some assumptions in some quarters of the society that Ssemogerere is still the president of the party. Let me also emphasise the point that I am not getting out of this race. I am going all the way," Bwengye said. MPs Wasswa Lule, Zachary Olum, Rainer Kafiire and two founder members of the party, Alphonse Ntale and Louis Tyaba, also attended the meeting. The party's regional representative for western Uganda, Mr. Protazio Tugurihayo, who read the resolutions, said the party still enjoyed massive support nationwide and urged his counterparts to mobilize support for Bwengye. He criticised the 'betrayal' of the party by Ssemogerere, Ssebaana Kizito and Damiano Lubega. The meeting said Ssemogerere had misled party members and sympathisers into supporting another candidate other than the official party candidate. The publicity secretary for DP, Wasswa Lule, later told The New Vision that rumours of Bwengye's withdrawal from the race were from their opponents bent on a smear campaign. A source said the members agreed no party leader should hold office for over 10 years and were given Bwengye's campaign manifesto and posters. Ends