The Uganda People’s Congress is seeking to expel Lira Municipality Member of Parliament, James Akena from the Milton Obote Foundation to which he is a member.
Akena is a son to UPC founder and former president, Dr Apollo Milton Obote.
In a letter dated 11th July and signed by the party secretary general John Odit, the party alleges that in the 2011 general elections Akena campaigned against Dr. Olara Otunnu as the presidential party flag bearer. He is also known to be behind the UPC pressure group that seeks to undermine the leadership of UPC as a political party.
The letter adds that the UPC pressure group’s activities and organization are tantamount to Akena and his group forming a separate organization within the UPC, which is contrary to the party constitution.
The letter concludes that Akena and Hajji Wegulo, who despite joining the NRM is still registered as a member of MOF, are working against the social, economic and political interests of the founders of the Milton Obote Foundation.
In line with the relations between the party and MOF, the party recommends that the Foundation Board of Governors consider the matter seriously and take appropriate action against Hajji Wegulo and Akena.
To Akena’s relief, the MOF board of Governors did not include him in their resolution. But the board contends that Wegulo contravened Article 11 of the MOF Memorandum and Articles of Association.
When contacted, Hajji Wegulo revealed to URN that two days to the meeting, he received several calls from the MOF group Manager Celestino Mindra. The manager was asking him to pick letters and attend the meeting to which he declined, since he is now a member of NRM. He told Mindra that he would not attend the meeting even if he was still with UPC.
According to Wegulo, most of the board members in MOF currently are ignorant of how MOF should operate. Wegulo, a founder member of MOF says according to the initial plan, UPC was supposed to be an employer of MOF and not the other way round as it is now.
He concludes that most of the party members at Uganda House are only members at the headquarters and not beyond it. Wegulo is confident that one day he will be called upon to give evidence in the courts of law to that effect and whoever will be alive at the time will suffer.
Jimmy Akena on his part says the letter was written with malice without looking at the procedures to be followed. He adds that none of the organs which have the power to make a decision have met over the matter.
Akena, who is also a member of the board of governors, says this marks the end of the cold war to a new stage of the battle because their accusations have gone below the belt.
//Cue in: The letter as it is written…”
Cue out:…gone before the belt now.”//
John Odit, the UPC secretary general tells URN that there is no need for him to inform Akena and Hajji Wegulo about the actions the party takes. Odit says since Akena has not yet denounced the party, MOF must investigate and reach a logical conclusion.
//Cue in: In the case of Jimmy Akena…”
Cue out: and reach a logical conclusion.”//
Akena says no matter what Otunnu’s leadership says about him, he will continue to support pressure groups that are calling for the party organization and will not go down quietly. He adds that Otunnu wants to expel him because he is uncomfortable with his ideas and he will not allow for genuine party members to be thrown out of the party.
//Cue in: Its not MOF to expel…”
Cue out:… to throw people out of the party.”//
