Omara Atubo vows to crush Otto
Sep 30, 2010
LANDS minister Daniel Omara Atubo has vowed to defeat Oyam South MP Isha Otto Amiza in the court case against him and 21 other legislators.Last week, Isha Otto sued 22 independent MPs for not vacating their seats before contesting in primaries.
By Madinah Tebajjukira
LANDS minister Daniel Omara Atubo has vowed to defeat Oyam South MP Isha Otto Amiza in the court case against him and 21 other legislators.
Last week, Isha Otto sued 22 independent MPs for not vacating their seats before contesting in primaries to represent other political parties as the Constitution requires.
Isha is represented by fellow legislator Odonga Otto, the Aruu county MP. Addressing the press earlier at Parliament, Odonga Otto said Atubo and Serere MP MP Capt. Emilly Otekat had vowed to kill Isha Otto if their names were not dropped from the list of the accused.
Odonga added that Atubo had several times asked him to drop his name from the accused in exchange for huge sums of money.
Atubo, however, described the allegations as malicious and diversionary. He said he could not waste his “little valuable time†on “politically mad†legislators.
“Can Otto tell what time I pleaded with him, where and when? He is doing that because he is still a junior and he has realised that he has no case. I can only devote my efforts on how to crush them in court. I can’t waste time on some one who has just graduated. He is just looking for public sympathy,†Atubo said. Atubo boasted of a 30-year clean political record.
Odonga also alleged that on Wednesday at around 8:00pm, a silver Toyota Harrier car blocked the entrance to Isha Otto’s home in Kiwatule for five hours until residents threatened to attack the occupants. He said they reported the matter to Kira Road Police Station.
Odonga also alleged that on September 22, Otekat, while meeting East Moyo MP Piro Santos at Bauman House, vowed to deal with Isha Otto. Otekat could not be reached by press time.
“Hon. Atubo and Otekat have publicly threatened to kill my client. Even during their Wednesday meeting in which they planned how to handle the matter, they vowed to deal with him. We have the recording of the meeting. I want the people of Teso to know that if anything happens to the son of Lango, that will be the genesis of genocide,†Odonga warned. Although the Constitution requires independent MPs to quit if they join a political party, it does not specify what constitutes crossing over.
Earlier this month, Atubo said although he contested in the NRM primaries and was elected the party’s flag-bearer for Otuke county, he had not crossed to the party.
“I am still an independent in the eighth Parliament, but I will contest under the NRM party in the next Parliament. You cannot refuse me from exercising my right of freely choosing a party I want to belong to,†Atubo said.
The interpretation of whether independents can participate in political party activities remains contentious. Both the Attorney General and the Electoral Commission would not comment on the issue yesterday.
LANDS minister Daniel Omara Atubo has vowed to defeat Oyam South MP Isha Otto Amiza in the court case against him and 21 other legislators.
Last week, Isha Otto sued 22 independent MPs for not vacating their seats before contesting in primaries to represent other political parties as the Constitution requires.
Isha is represented by fellow legislator Odonga Otto, the Aruu county MP. Addressing the press earlier at Parliament, Odonga Otto said Atubo and Serere MP MP Capt. Emilly Otekat had vowed to kill Isha Otto if their names were not dropped from the list of the accused.
Odonga added that Atubo had several times asked him to drop his name from the accused in exchange for huge sums of money.
Atubo, however, described the allegations as malicious and diversionary. He said he could not waste his “little valuable time†on “politically mad†legislators.
“Can Otto tell what time I pleaded with him, where and when? He is doing that because he is still a junior and he has realised that he has no case. I can only devote my efforts on how to crush them in court. I can’t waste time on some one who has just graduated. He is just looking for public sympathy,†Atubo said. Atubo boasted of a 30-year clean political record.
Odonga also alleged that on Wednesday at around 8:00pm, a silver Toyota Harrier car blocked the entrance to Isha Otto’s home in Kiwatule for five hours until residents threatened to attack the occupants. He said they reported the matter to Kira Road Police Station.
Odonga also alleged that on September 22, Otekat, while meeting East Moyo MP Piro Santos at Bauman House, vowed to deal with Isha Otto. Otekat could not be reached by press time.
“Hon. Atubo and Otekat have publicly threatened to kill my client. Even during their Wednesday meeting in which they planned how to handle the matter, they vowed to deal with him. We have the recording of the meeting. I want the people of Teso to know that if anything happens to the son of Lango, that will be the genesis of genocide,†Odonga warned. Although the Constitution requires independent MPs to quit if they join a political party, it does not specify what constitutes crossing over.
Earlier this month, Atubo said although he contested in the NRM primaries and was elected the party’s flag-bearer for Otuke county, he had not crossed to the party.
“I am still an independent in the eighth Parliament, but I will contest under the NRM party in the next Parliament. You cannot refuse me from exercising my right of freely choosing a party I want to belong to,†Atubo said.
The interpretation of whether independents can participate in political party activities remains contentious. Both the Attorney General and the Electoral Commission would not comment on the issue yesterday.