A splinter group of the Uganda People Congress led by embattled Jimmy Akena has attacked the party’s ‘former president’ Olara Otunnu and the Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) for allegedly refusing to engage in mediation, as directed by court.
Currently, both the Akena and Otunnu camps are embroiled in a leadership and asset dispute related to the UPC and MOF, respectively.
In December last year court ruled that Akena is not the rightful UPC party president because he was not elected in accordance with the party constitution but then went ahead and advised both parties to resolve their differences amicably.
And speaking about the dispute early today, the acting party Secretary General Edward Segganyi said that court directed all parties involved in the UPC dispute involving the Milton Obote Foundation (MOF), to resolve their differences by way of mediation.
“The Otunnu group were caught trying to smuggle a purported mediation report onto the file, one that had never taken place,” Mr Segganyi said at party headquarters, Uganda House.
The UPC Secretary General warned former party vice president Joseph Bossa for trying to deregister UPC duly nominated candidates, and also charged that Mr Otunnu and MOF had formed an alliance to destroy the party and steal its assets.
He also scoffed at Mr Otunnu’s participation in the Go Forward campaign, saying the act is in contravention of the UPC constitution. “They will be confronted by the full weight and fury of the members,” he charged before urging members not to participate in a Delegates Conference slated for later this month.
“These are the same people who failed to hold a single Delegates Conference during their tenure, the timing and intention begs the question as to the purpose of the announcement,” he said and added that the conference was aimed at disrupting efforts of the UPC candidates.
However, contacted for comment, Dalton Opwonya, Mr Otunnu’s lawyer rubbished Segganyi’s allegetions on mediation.
He said the Akena camp was served with summons but refused saying they had appealed in the Court of Appeal and wanted nothing to do with the High Court ruling.
“The Registrar wrote the mediation report and he is not a mad man,” said lawyer Opwonya, adding: “When outside court they want mediation but when in court they don’t want it.”
