Things are not well at the headquarters of the ruling National Resistance Movement party with allegations that one man undermining everyone’s efforts and fighting everybody including their National Chairman, President Yoweri Museveni himself.
On Friday, the NRM top leadership released its roadmap but the event exposed the infightings within the party with some sections of the top leadership blaming the whole incident on chairman of the party Electoral Commission, Dr. Tanga Odoi’s alleged unbecoming behavior and disrespect to the Central Executive Committee (CEC), Museveni and the Secretary General, Justine Lumumba.
They allege that Dr. Tanga shamed Museveni, CEC and the party by openly rubbishing the CEC Resolution signed by both the national chairman and Secretary General in the presence of the majority members of CEC and the media at the NRM secretariat. Tanga told the meeting that CEC resolution and the roadmap they (CEC) passed on Thursday was still a draft which him as chairman of the electoral commission was amending to come up with the final version fit for public consumption.
Emmanuel Dombo Lumala, the Director Information, Communication and Publicity’s clarification that CEC’s resolution was final not draft as fell on Tanga’s deaf ear.
“This man’s unbecoming behavior should no longer be taken to be a simple matter,” one CEC member was heard as saying, adding that Museveni needs to stop fearing loud quarrelsome people and he prevails over Tanga otherwise the ruling party is at the verge of collapse.
“We have for so long cried to the president, seeking the dismissal of that man. Petitions have been made by the party structures and presented to the national chairman but it seems Museveni fears loud quarrelsome people even when their actions backstab him. Maybe that is why he has never taken any punitive measure not even a cautious one against Tanga,” one top official whispered to this reporter at the sidelines of the meeting.
However, in phone interview with Eagle Online Tanga says those blaming him haven’t conducted themselves to the expectations expected of them. He says he shouldn’t be the person to blame all the time if there is failure.
“….. I wonder where I found them, they are like people who are not responsible at all. What happened yesterday, I explained and I will not be intimidated, I will wait for their letter dismissing me if there is a letter”. Dr. Odoi said.
However, those blaming Tanga said he has overstretched his battle with SG Justine Lumumba
“The problem is that Dr. Odoi thinks he is the best schooled person and that he can’t be under the supervision of a woman. Very egocentric. He has no regard for the feelings, interests and beliefs of others other than his own; he is self-centered,” another scribe said behind that big yellow tent at the Secretariat.
On the above accusations, Dr. Odoi says he has no personal problem with Ms Lumumba and any other member of CEC. He also insists it is his mandate to release the road map as the Chairman of the party’s Electoral Commission,
“On the road map, i was the one to release it and I told them we had to harmonise and correct few things before releasing it at 2.30 pm. There is nothing I did and it isn’t the first time I am being blamed”. He clarified
Adding “What would I fight Lumumba for? Let her register people because registers are not complete. I respect CEC members and they respect me too and therefore we aren’t clashing as alleged” .
Some Secretariat staff members we interviewed separately said enough was enough, the national chairman should dismiss Tanga if work is to move on.
“We are demanding for his immediate dismissal otherwise things shall not move on well,” one employee of the party told this website but Odoi dismissed the above allegations.
Asked why he never wanted to have his name mentioned in this story, the senior staff said; let us first get to know why the president has refused to hear our plight. Why he has kept a weevil in his grainary yet he has a pesticide in his right arm.
We understand the party offices were closed by the Secretary General in February as a preventive measure against Coronavirus. The party has not yet lifted this lockdown.
It is alleged that on Friday at the release of the NRM roadmap, Tanga refused to take a seat near Lumumba as it had been arranged. They also says Odoi declined to elaborate to the audience on how the NRM roadmap was going to be followed when Lumumba humbly invited him to take the microphone.
