KAMPALA, UGANDA: The newly elected Member of Parliament for Serere County Hon Emmanuel Omoding has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ruling NRM party to work together.
Omoding, son to the late Patrick Okabe who died in an accident in December defeated NRM’s Philip Oucor, Alliance for National Transformation (ANT)’s Alice Alaso and two other candidates in the Serere by-election last week.
The pact was signed yesterday (Thursday) at the ruling party headquarters at Kyadondo in presence of the NRM Secretary General Mr Richard Todwong and the party’s electoral commission boss Mr Tanga Odoi, while Omoding (Independent) was accompanied by the Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua, and the State Minister for Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, during the signing ceremony.
“We congratulate you upon winning the election though we didn’t support you. In principle we supported our flag bearer but the people of Serere decided otherwise and as the NRM party, we welcome you,” Mr Todwong said.
“We are happy to receive you because you have declared openly that you belong to NRM and you would want to work with NRM. You were elected as an independent Member of Parliament and this document(MOU) will enable us to relate with you officially. It doesn’t mean you have crossed to NRM but only to help us work with you as an independent MP,” Todwong said.
Mr Todwong explained why the party supported its flagbearer and not Emmanuel Omoding in the by-election. He noted that the party had already identified its candidate, who was the NRM flagbearer, and that it was not in the party’s interest to support an independent candidate.
“Though we didn’t support you as a party, the people decided that you should represent the constituency. In principle, we supported our flag bearer which is something we couldn’t go against. Now that you have come, we are happy to receive you.”
Speaking at the same function, Omoding said he was delighted that he will be working with the ruling NRM party as an independent MP to make the voices of the people of Serere county get heard.
“I am an independent candidate but NRM leaning just like my father was. I have decided to sign a cooperation pack with the NRM party because I want the voices of the people of Serere to be heard and their dreams to be met,” Omoding said.
“My father was independent but NRM leaning and as they say, like father like son, it is what I am doing to work with the party.”
The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua, stated that the signing of the MoU was a significant addition to the NRM Parliamentary Caucus in Parliament and that Hon. Omoding would now be able to officially associate with the National Resistance Movement.
“We believe the request by Omoding to work with the NRM is an addition to the NRM parliamentary caucus in parliament not as an MP belonging to NRM but in exercising his constitutional right of associating with the ruling party,” Obua said.
The signing of the MoU between Mr. Omoding and the NRM marks a significant milestone for the party and sets the stage for future collaboration and cooperation between the two parties. With Mr. Omoding now an independent NRM-leaning MP, the party’s Parliamentary Caucus gains a valuable new member who is committed to serving the people of Uganda and promoting the country’s development.
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