The ruling National Resistance Movement party announced yesterday that it would suspend two senior cabinet ministers over their alleged involvement in vote rigging and voter manipulation in the just-concluded party district elections.
Addressing journalists in Kampala, Deputy Spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, said if the NRM still wants to be seen as a party that can deliver a clean vote in 2011, it should expel Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo and suspend Minister of State for Labour Emmanuel Otaala and Minister without Portfolio Dorothy Hyuha over their alleged misconduct during the elections.
Bukenya in spotlight
Mr Opondo also said the party’s elections tribunal will investigate allegations that Vice President Gilbert Bukenya was involved in vote buying in the race for Wakiso District chairman.
He said the party has received complaints that Prof. Bukenya hosted NRM voters at his home on the eve of the voting so as to influence them in his favour.
“If the Vice President and NRM [national vice] chairman did this, then suspension must be [effected],” Mr Opondo said. “But, we are waiting for a submission from Eng. Kyeyune before we proceed with investigations.”
Eng. Ian Kyeyune has been the incumbent Wakiso District chairperson. He, however, withdrew from the contest, saying the Vice President used money to influence voters.
Shameful
Mr Opondo said Ms Hyuha connived with her brother, Butaleja District chairman Richard Waya, to hide voters in a hotel, thereby denying area MP Emmanuel Dombo, who was vying for the same district position, access to the electorate.
“It was a shameful act,” Mr Opondo said, “They hid voters in a hotel and bought them booze and snacks and denied their opponent access to them. That is what happened in Butaleja.”
Mr Opondo said Dr Otaala should “feel ashamed” for hijacking the entire electoral process in Tororo District. He accused the minister of locking out ethnic Iteso voters from Tororo County from the voting process.
“He tried to connive with Jo’padhola voters to ensure that the Iteso side does not send representatives to elect the district chairman,” Mr Opondo said, adding, “He later emerged from the meeting with voters from his tribe and declared himself winner. This was very improper.”
Although Mr Opondo said voting in most parts of the country had gone on well, he observed that the shooting in Sembabule has left the public unsure about his party’s commitment to organising peaceful elections in next year.
Lingering doubts
He said, “If NRM, a party that is leading the country uses violence against one of its own, how then can it convince the world that it will preside over peaceful elections against our opponents?”
Mr Opondo said the Sembabule shooting, in which two people were injured and a police officer was manhandled, has exposed how anger has taken the better of area MP Ssekikubo, who was granted bail last evening.
“Some of us are of the view that he should be expelled from the party immediately,” Mr Opondo said, “Let him go and contest as an independent or join the opposition. Similar measures must be taken against Minister Otaala and Ms Hyuha.”
Yesterday, NRM legal advisor and Minister for Local Government, Adolf Mwesige, told Daily Monitor that even if the party tribunal decided to suspend the ministers, they could still keep their jobs.
“The ministers are appointed by the President and suspension from the party cannot affect their position in Cabinet,” Mr Mwesige said. “They are appointed to serve the State not a party. Of course, it would be morally bad for a minister to be suspended by the party, but after suspension, it would be up to the President to either relieve them of their duties in cabinet or keep them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment