Resign, Walubiri tells Miria

Jun 10, 2009

PETER Walubiri has rejected his new post of legal adviser of the Ugandan People’s Congress (UPC) and urged Miria Obote to step down as party president.

By Conan Businge and Umaru Kashaka

PETER Walubiri has rejected his new post of legal adviser of the Ugandan People’s Congress (UPC) and urged Miria Obote to step down as party president.

Walubiri, who had been serving as the secretary general of the party, was on Tuesday dropped from the party’s cabinet.

He was replaced by Chris Opoka.

Reacting to his new appointment in a letter to Miria, who made the reshuffle, Walubiri said the post he was offered does not exist.

In the same the letter, he said he had resigned as secretary general weeks ago because “the confidence and trust of the party cabinet has been greatly strained”, adding that he saw his resignation it as the “only dignified option”.

He accused Miria of supporting her son, James Akena, to “maneuver and unfairly create a majority position in the Milton Obote Foundation, giving credence to allegations of an attempt for one family to claim ownership of the foundation.”

And he ended by outright calling for her resignation.

“Step down from the office of the party president since you can no longer offer the desired leadership.”

He argued that he could not merely keep quiet when things were going wrong in the party.

“I would hide my head in the sand and pretend to defend your actions and decisions. But my conscience and faith do not allow me to live by such a hollow life.”

Over time, Walubiri has held a number of senior positions in the party.

He was a member of the UPC presidential policy commission, the chairperson of the UPC national organising committee, as well as the deputy leader of the opposition coalition, which was known as the G-7.

In a related development, Miria, the widow of former President Milton Obote, yesterday defended her son on his plans to contest for the party presidency.

At a press briefing, she announced that she had appointed Akena as the new assistant national chairman of the party.

“Let him stand for the party presidency if he wants. I cannot stop him,” Miria said.

“He is no longer a child. I will give him my support as a mother. I cannot stand in his way, if he wants to follow his father’s footsteps. I feel he can confidently fulfill his ambition.”

Asked if Akena’s standing would make the party look like it is run by the Obote dynasty, Miria said: “The people have a right to determine who leads them. No matter who Akena is, as long as he is endorsed by the delegates’ conference, he will lead the party. There are other contestants, and party members will choose who to lead them.”

She added that she is not leading the party because she was married to Obote. “Being his widow was not a guarantee for the post I hold. I was elected,” she argued.

Akena had declared in the media that he was interested in standing for the President’s seat if endorsed by the forthcoming UPC delegates’ conference.

He joined politics in 2006 and contested in the Parliamentary elections.

He beat his opponent, UPC stalwart Cecilia Ogwal, to become the representative of Lira municipality in Parliament.

In the party reshuffle this week, Miria also dropped MP Livingstone Okello-Okello and replaced him with Hajj Badru Wegulo.

Benson Obua-Ogwal was also dropped as a national youth leader and his office was given to Peter Olal.

The two had openly supported the candidature of former UN diplomat Olara Otunnu for the presidency.

If Akena is elected to the party’s top seat, it will imply that he can contest for what was once his father’s seat.

Milton Obote was one of the architects of Uganda’s independence in 1962.

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