Gulu High court is today (Friday) expected to rule on who between Aswa County MP Reagan and Gulu Municipality MP should be the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate in Aswa County.
Christopher Acire abandoned his Gulu municipality seat and instead went for Okumu’s Aswa County. Both men belong to the FDC.
Early this month, Lady Justice Mutonyi of the Gulu high court ordered the Gulu District Registrar for the national Independent Electoral Commission to nominate both Okumu and Acire as FDC candidates awaiting her ruling on who between the two men will be the official candidate of the party.
In her preliminary ruling Justice Mutonyi said the confusion in FDC should not deprive the electorate in Aswa County their right to electing a representative in parliament. She subsequently set December 18 as the date for her ruling on a petition filed by Christopher Acire.
Acire dragged his party, FDC party to court over its failure to conduct primary elections to elect the party flag bearer for Aswa.
In his petition filed at Gulu High Court, Acire is demanding that court orders FDC to conduct primary elections instead of hand-picking candidates.
Okumu was nominated by the FDC working committee following last month’s meeting that unanimously endorsed him. Acire was meanwhile nominated as an independent.
Through his lawyers Luganda, Ojok and Co Advocates, Acire alleges his party did not follow the procedures in picking on its ‘official’ flag bearer, Okumu.
However, Bena Mutamba, the FDC lawyer, dismissed the allegations.
Mutamba asked court to ignore the request by Acire’s lawyer for an interim order, adding that the independent Electoral Commission is not party to the suit.
Okumu has represented the people of Aswa County in the Parliament of Uganda since 1996.
Meanwhile Acire is serving his first term Gulu Municipality MP.
Acire is leaving the Gulu Municipality MP seat to contest for Aswa County, where Reagan Okumu is the incumbent MP. Acire cited personal reasons for leaving the municipality seat.
The former friends turned foe have not been in good terms since Okumu accused Acire of failing to effectively represent Gulu Municipality after he (Acire) failed to speak on the floor Parliament since he was elected more than four years ago. Okumu says Acire has not raised a single issue on the floor of parliament. In response, Acire says Okumu is involved in cheap talk.
