By Mulengera Reporters
Dr. Tanga Odoi and other NRM Electoral Commissioners who flanked him was on Monday left in total shock when more than 100 journalists, from major media houses, who turned up for a news conference failed to ask even one question.
The news conference had been called to enable the ruling party officially brag about the fact that their candidates won 326,248 (or 91.6%) out of the total of 356,070 positions that were available during the village women council elections that was held last Wednesday 22nd July. Tanga said this shows that the ruling party is still popular and the one that continues to be preferred by majority Ugandans.
They also aptly prepared for the same by way of organizing countrywide barazas in each of the 71,214 villages during which candidates were motivated and party members rallied to rally behind them. Since money has never been a problem for them, the ruling party also generously facilitated its candidates and campaign agents.
Tanga claimed that even majority of the 20,819 (5.8%) village women council chairpersons who won on independent platform were NRM-leaning. The opposition parties combined only won 8,748 (2.5%) of the seats, which Tanga asserted is indicative of the extent to which Ugandans have rejected the opposition agenda.
This also diminishes the ease with which the opposition can assert that they had what it takes to overwhelm and dislodge Gen YK Museveni at the level of Presidency if they can’t score better electoral victories at village level. 255 (0.1%) of the women council chairperson seats remain undeclared because of the disputes which the EC is yet to resolve but Tanga said even if the opposition candidates were to win all of them, it’s too late for them to assail the NRM’s commanding lead.
The NRM EC’s assessment also indicated that 119,341 (33.6%) of the seats were won unopposed and majority of these were in favor of the ruling party. This means that for a total of 119,341 seats the opposition parties combined were unable to put candidates to compete against NRM ones in the last Wednesday poll where voters registered their preference by lining behind their preferred candidates.
Tanga called on all registered NRM members, who Commissioner James Kinobe said are 18m in total, to ride on the last week momentum and turn up in big numbers for the Tuesday 28th July LC1 Chairpersons’ elections to ensure that the 91.6% victory is even surpassed. He warned against complacency while thanking the government for declaring a public holiday so that no one has reason not to participate in the queues to determine the next village chairpersons.
Saying a lot of mobilization and preparations had been undertaken, Tanga predicted a victory of over 95% for the ruling NRM; saying this was important to demonstrate the clear mandate the people of Uganda are determined to continue giving the ruling party at all levels. Warning against connivance to prop up independents, whose perpetrators risk being sanctioned, Dr. Tanga called on NRM CEC members, MPs and other elected leaders to use their clout and galvanize support for the party’s flag bearers in their respective villages or cells. He didn’t specify what exactly will be done to sanction outliers who disregard party candidates and antagonize them in favor of independents.
Tanga also proclaimed a program to select flag bearers for LC2/parish level candidates for the party who will be selected through a primary exercise to be held on Friday 31st July. On that same day, the party will select flag bearers for LC2 chairpersonship and those to head the women council committees at parish level.
For one to be eligible will have to have been elected to become a member of the LCI executive based on the village level-this will be the case for flag bearers for both the LC2 executive committee and the women’s council at parish level. Those to be part of the electoral college will have to be leaders elected on the village level/LCI executive. Winners who are NRM will constitute themselves into a college and choose flag bearers for the party at the parish level. Guidance will subsequently be issued for positions at the higher levels such as Sub County level and beyond.
JOURNALISTS GO MUTE:
For unknown reasons, journalists, who were made to wait for more than an hour for a news conference that was supposed to start at 11am (prompting Tanga to apologize), staged a silent protest when they refused to ask even a single question. It was either an act of some defiance or an indication of ineptness on their part.
After reading out his three-page statement, an ebullient Tanga Odoi called on the members of the 4th estate, who were very many in number, to ask some clarification questions and no hand went up. This shocked not just Tanga but Commissioners James Kinobe and Fred Omach who flanked him. Tanga then signaled Kinobe to unpack the statement in Luganda after which scribes were once again implored to ask questions but still none of them reciprocated.
A clearly surprised Tanga signaled fellow Commissioners and they watched out of the compound-based huge yellow tent which served as the venue. The NRM EC staff were equally surprised over the fact that such a large number of journalists didn’t have even a single question for their both Tanga Odoi. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
