D-DAY: Make or break in NRM Primaries

Odoi talks tough

There were chaotic scenes at the NRM Electoral Commission in Kampala early today as police battled with a candidate who wanted his opponent’s candidature cancelled.

Charles Ocaya, a candidate in the NRM primaries for Chwa West constituency in Kitgum district was forcefully evicted from the office of the Electoral Commission chairman after according to Dr Tanga Odoi becoming a nuisance.

Ocaya had gone to the office to renew his appeal for the cancellation of the candidature of former musician Bosmic Otim, his sole challenger for the parliamentary seat within the NRM. Ocaya said that Otim’s nomination was illegal because the aspirant lacked requisite academic qualifications for a parliamentary nominee, a plea that the NRM electoral commission has objected to.

Yesterday, the Uganda National Examinations Board [UNEB] Executive Secretary Dan Odongo clarified that Otim didn’t qualify for the award of a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education certificate. According to UNEB, Bosmic Otim obtained a subsidiary pass in General Paper, F in History and Christian Religious Education and never sat for the Economics paper. Ugandan laws stipulate that a parliamentary nominee is required to have a certificate granted upon obtaining principal and subsidiary passes at A’ level.

It is against this background that Ocaya confronted Odoi and asked that he is declared unopposed in the race. He said he was seeking justice and demanded that the party immediately quashes Otim’s nomination for the primaries that are due to take place on Friday. But Odoi allegedly got impatient with Ocaya and ordered him out of his office.

Odoi then ordered the security to throw him out not only from his office but also the Commission’s premises. Four police officers then dragged him on the concrete floor out. But in the process, Ocaya says Odoi hit him.

Ochaya who kept pleading for justice while being ejected from the premises insisted that Otim does not qualify to be an MP and asked that he should be disqualified. He said he would camp at Kyadondo road, the head office of the NRM until the nomination was cancelled.

Ocaya’s lawyers M/S F. Aogon & CO. Advocates had also made a fresh appeal against his nomination to NRM electoral commission demanding that their client be declared unopposed, failure of which will leave them with no choice but to lodge a suit in court.

“The purpose of this letter is to appeal against your decision and demand that the nomination of Mr Bosmic Otim as NRM MP for Chua West Constituency be cancelled and our client be declared the unopposed NRM candidate for Chua West Constituency-Kitgum district, failure of which within one day will leave us no choice but to lodge a suit in court,” the letter reads.

Arrests in Soroti

Police in Soroti has arrested several people after intercepting vehicles carrying NRM candidates found canvassing for votes around Soroti City and the neighboring areas.

At least four vehicles carrying public address systems with posters of candidates have been intercepted and parked at Central Police Station in Soroti.

The development comes ahead of Polls in the NRM Primaries taking place tomorrow across the country.

Some of the vehicles intercepted include those for Serere County aspirant, Phillip Oucor, Dakebela County Aspirant, Vincent Enomu, Soroti East Municipality Aspirant, Jimmy Ekemu and Soroti City Woman MP aspirant, Emily Amulo.

The vehicles carrying more than five people in each were moving round, calling for support for their respective candidates.

Soroti DPC, Simon Ksamsangira says the candidates were issued with guidelines on Wednesday’s meeting but some decided to violate the guidelines.

While intercepting Amulo’s vehicle in Pamba, Ksamsangira labored to explain to the candidates why they had intercepted their vehicles.

Information on the ground indicates that most of the candidates are conducting a mop up campaign across the region. David Okiring, a resident in Pingire Sub County says candidates have hired boda- boda cyclists who are combing different villages chanting names of their respective candidates. He noted that some of the campaigners are distributing soap and money to residents as they solicit for votes.

In Kumi, a Fuso Lorry- UAP 378K is still campaigning for Solomon Opio, the MP aspirant for Kumi County. Several other vehicles have been cited in the villages campaigning for different candidates, according to James Oenen, a resident of Nyero Sub County in Kumi District.

In Ngora, Police have arrested and driven out of the district, six people found campaigning in the area. The team was campaigning for Ngora County incumbent, David Abala.

David Ekaret, the NRM regional coordinator in Teso says they have instructed Police to arrest anyone campaigning on elections eve. He explains that the party gave clear communication to all candidates and whoever is found breaching them should be arrested.

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