Joseph Saava, the National Communications Assistant of the office of the National Chairman of the ruling NRM has accused the Vice President, Jessica Alupo, of causing confusion and disorder in NRM camp as the party prepares for the upcoming Soroti East Constituency by election.
Polling is slated for Thursday this week. Tight competition is between NRM’s Ariko Herbert Edmund and FDC’s Attan Moses.
NRM big guns including the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, NRM Vice Chairman Eastern Uganda Captain Mike Mukula and leaders of the party Secretariat, a couple of Ministers have camped for days in the area where they continue soliciting votes for Ariko.
However, over the weekend, reports emerged in the media, that Alupo had reorganized the NRM team canvassing votes for Herbert Ariko. Plus News could not independently verify this.
The changes according to the reports, Sanjay Tanna was deployed deployed in the Central Ward Team headed by General Jeje Odongo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Tana is a renowned political rival to Capt. Mike Mukula to whom he lost the party Vice Chairmanship, Eastern Uganda.
According to Saava, the changes were done without consulting Mukula, who ordinarily, together with party Secretariat are fully in charge of man this particular by election.
The move, he thinks, is suicidal and unacceptable since it pit leaders against each other at a crucial time when efforts should be directed towards wining the by election.
“The only way to strengthen the party is by respecting the NRM Secretariat headed by the Secretary General and the party structures. For example, in Eastern Uganda, Capt Mike Mukula is the NRM Vice Chairperson. Whoever enters Soroti on an NRM mission or activity, must consult and engage him to avoid any confrontation that may arise,” Saava notes.
“In order to win, we must be united as we follow our organizational structure, we as the party, have an organised way of doing things and it must be respected so that we don’t allow our enemy to use those gaps and hit us harder.”
“As far as we are concerned, the party’s Vice Chairman and the NRM Secretary General are the ones fully in charge and so, we ask the Vice President, Jessica Alupo to leave Soroti By-elections to the party’s organizational structure headed by the NRM Secretariat, his team and the Vice Chairperson NRM Eastern Uganda and other leaders as far as the mobilization is concerned,” Saava adds.
He says that whereas it is true that every one in NRM is welcome to campaign for Ariko, their decisions, behavior and activities must be guided by the Secretariat and NRM Vice Chairman Eastern region.
“We all want people to come and solicit votes for our Candidate, Hon Ariko but they should be guided by the existing structure regardless of their position in the country,” argues Saava.
“Much as we respect independent NRM leaning leaders, our main focus is on NRM flagbearers. So, anybody who either directly or indirectly sabotages this cause, is an enemy of the NRM. I want to thank those doing a great job including the Prime Minister Hon Robinah Nabbanja, Speaker of Parliament Hon Annet Anita Among, Secretariat. These are cooperating well with the structure on ground as well as the Secretariat,” he adds.
Saava says individuals and groups should desist from going to Soroti to confuse the process for their selfish reasons.
“If they are coming, they have to work under the structures. The VP should not start creating or dividing the party into small groups at this time when we are seeking victory. That is not in order and it must stop,” he says.
“Soroti has been fully mobilised, our Prime Minister has been there, the SG and the Secretariat have camped there for weeks and the same to the NRM Vice Chairperson, Eastern Uganda,” he adds.
Our efforts to reach the Vice President for a comment on the allegations were futile.
Meanwhile, Herbert Edmund Ariko recently said that he will ensure that the NRM Manifesto is implemented if he is elected MP.
“As a leader in Soroti city, the key issue on my agenda is to ensure that the NRM manifesto is fully implemented and the people of Soroti enjoy the good leadership of the NRM government,” Hon Ariko said, adding that the move would help improve service delivery to the people.
He called for a change in the direction of the, politics of the City from one that is based on propaganda to politics that is focused on the development of the region and the wellbeing of the people.
“We should work proactively, position ourselves and lobby for the central government intervention to transform the lives of the people,” he said.