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Factional UPC president Jimmy Akena continues to be in a hostage position and is clearly with divided loyalty between UPC and Museveni’s NRM. Whereas he was tasked to wholly deliver UPC to Museveni to form a coalition government of sorts, the Lira Municipality MP failed after his own UPC faction developed cracks prompting some members to decamp into political oblivion.
At home in Lango, where the name Obote for his father is revered the way Catholics do to the Pope, Akena remains a deeply isolated man always subjected to profound suspicion and mistrust even by his own voters in Lira Municipality.
Each time a controversial matter comes up, Akena who was supposed to become Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government with Museveni finds himself on the spot whereby his voters demand he declares where he stands even on things that would appear obvious for a president of a traditional opposition party like UPC.
During the consultations of the proposed land amendments, Akena was put to task and humiliated by voters in Lira Municipality. The same happened when it came to the debate of life presidency relating to the Magyezi Bill which he reluctantly voted against last month.
Even when he voted no, voters confronted him during Christmas recess wondering if he would have voted the same way if it was a secret vote. In a bid to redeem his political image and re-assure the doubting Langis that he is indeed opposed to Museveni’s NRM, Akena has lately started sending out signals indicating he will walk the talk by contesting against President Museveni for the top job in 2021. Frail Akena, who is nearly as elderly as his partner Museveni has confided in close confidants that he will carry the UPC flag into the Presidential elections in 2021.
This will be consistent with his promise in 2016, as he marketed Museveni in Lango, that the relationship with NRM would be used to build capacity for the UPC to produce a successful Presidential candidate in 2021. Meanwhile those who want him politically out of the way in the Lango sub region politics are increasingly coalescing around ex-Oyam outspoken MP Isha Otto who is already riding on the Magyezi Bill discontent to campaign for the Lira Municipality MP Seat come 2021.
It will be interesting to see how presidential candidate Akena will perform in the ballot box as the last time a UPC candidate (Miria, his mother) sought presidency in 2006, the performance was very lukewarm; polling less than 3% of the total vote.
The UPC candidate back then was badly rejected even in Lango where the party is supposed to have a lot of support. In 2011, Otunnu on whom the party spent over Shs1bn funding countrywide campaigns, too performed miserably and even didn’t go to vote himself.
He said he was protesting absence of reforms aimed at free and fair elections. Reliable sources also say that his very smart wife Betty Amongin resents this political plan by Akena becoming public at this point in time because it may unsettle Museveni threaten her ministerial position.
