The LC3 Chairman of Layibi Division in Gulu Municipality Alfred Oluba along with five other National Resistance Movement party members in the district have defected to the former premier Amama Mbabazi’s Go Forward pressure group.
Oluba who recently lost the NRM primary elections to his rival Jacob Ojok Otobi also declared he will contest for the Layibi Division chair as an independent candidate under the Go Forward camp.
Others who defected to former premier Mbabazi’s camp include Walter Lamony Canogura, who is eyeing the Omoro parliamentary seat, Walter Nyeko Roy, the General Secretary NRM party in Bardege division, Alfred Akera Nyangkayi, Youth Chairperson NRM Layibi Division, Alex Billy Okwi, Youth Chairperson Pece Division and Fred Okema, an NRM youth Mobilizer in Layibi Division.
The aggrieved former NRM party members announced their defection on Friday morning at a press briefing held at Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) in Gulu town.
They blamed their defection on senior party officials in the district whom they accused of rigging, intimidation and deleting their names from the list for the NRM delegates’ conference.
According to Mr Oluba, his defection from NRM to Mbabazi’s Go Forward was also due to constant pressure from NRM big shots in Gulu.
“I have been an NRM party for the past 13 years. The NRM party I joined in the past compared to what we see now is a rotten party filled with intimidation, bribery and corruption,’’ said Oluba.
Oluba added that he had for long been labeled as a supporter of Mbabazi even when he has never met the former premier.
“What other reasons or options do I have if I am being pushed out of the party? I haven’t met nor held any talks with Mr Mbabazi or his agents, but at this moment, I am declaring that I am on his Go Forward pressure group.”
He also said as an effort to throw him out of the party, senior party officials in the district had manipulated the registry book and changed his name from Alfred Oluba to Simon Oluba making him ineligible to vote in the recent NRM party primaries.
Walter Lamony Canogura who seeks to contest against the Omoro County MP Jacob Oulanyah on an independent ticket said he is joining the Go Forward because of the hiking of nomination fees for parliamentary seats to 2 million shillings.
“The party decided to limit our capabilities of standing in elective politics by introducing heavy fees. This is absurd and poor people like me cannot afford. I have decided to go as independent and join Mr Mbabazi’s camp,” said Canogura.
Douglas Peter Okello, the Gulu NRM party Chairperson when contacted said the party had known of Mr Oluba’s defection long time when DP party President Norbert Mao visited the district last month.
“His defection has no effect on the party. NRM is gaining ground in Gulu with a total of 31,000 registered members. The defection of six members cannot disorganize us,” said Okello.
He however noted that the party can still accommodate the aggrieved members if they present their grievances to the NRM committee responsible for reconciliation and conflict management.
On Wednesday, ,Ms Balmoi Sharon and Harriet Aber Lajul, who lost the primaries for the Gulu Woman MP race to former Gulu RDC Catherine Lamwaka, announced that they will contest as independents for the Gulu woman MP seat, saying the primary elections had been rigged.
By Denis Otim