Kampala, (UG):- The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party electoral chairperson, Dr Tanga Odoi is under immense to resign from his position for failing to harmonize the party’s internal elections amid allegations of bias and sideline interest for selfish gains.
Dr Tanga, who was appointed NRM EC boss in 2015 faces an uphill task to shrug off the dust rising on his name after an insider, very familiar with the party’s electoral process, spilled high-level secrets on the ‘modus operandi’ at the party secretariat where he sits.
The whistleblower, speaking to one Kazibwe Jamil, a sworn NRM diehard revealed how Tanga, with hidden interests in the party’s elections, fought hard to halt the proposed “queue voting” method which the Central Executive Committee (CEC) had adopted in the runup to the 2021 elections.
President Museveni who doubles as national chairman of the NRM party adopted the resolution to use the lining up method in the party’s elections back then reasoning that the proposal was aimed at abetting transparency and cutting the cost of internal elections.
“People treat politics as a career so the process becomes a matter of life and death. Originally, we had electoral colleges but delegates were being bribed, we then went for a mini general election but sustaining it logistically is too much for a political party yet it doesn’t solve the issue of transparency,” the President said in January 2020, as NRM passed the queued voting method.
However, Tanga and his coup, according to the whistleblower, did not welcome the proposed queued voting method as they had already imported machines for making ballots and other electoral materials, and therefore, switching from ballot to lining up would mean ‘no business’ for them.
“Tanga and his group including Molly Kamukama (then PPA) stood up against the proposed method of switching to lining up from the ballot method. They painted a bad picture of the proposed method because they had imported ballot printing machines, and therefore could not stand seeing their business go down,” a senior party official who was part of the 2020 retreat disclosed, preferring anonymity to this story.
“But why would the party leadership entrust the management of the NRM internal elections to a group that is openly opposed to the (queuing) lining up mode of elections in preference to the use of ballot papers for pecuniary motives and expect positive outcomes?,” wondered the whistleblower. “They will simply fail it to prove to you how it can’t work so that you resort back to the use of ballot papers, which is lucrative business for them.”
The aggrieved party official likened it to “entrusting a space mission to an astronaut who doesn’t believe in the existence of the moon and other extraterrestrial bodies!”
The development comes just days after an NRM pressure and activist group who call themselves the Revivalist Movement of the NRM dragged to court the party Secretary General, Richard Todwong, and the NRM Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Tanga Odoi accusing them of irregularities in the party activities.
The group, founded by young cadres and patriots led by Isaac Rukanda said Tuesday that after years of raising concerns internally through letters and petitions, “our leaders arrogantly ignored us.”
“This suit focuses on their failure to organize internal elections a violation of both the NRM Constitution and the Constitution of Uganda. Internal elections are a fundamental pillar of the party’s democratic process. Yet, no internal elections have been conducted since 2016. This neglect has allowed leaders at levels whose term expired in 2020 to continue serving a second term and occupying offices illegally for five years. This undermines the credibility of the NRM as a party that values democracy,” said Rukanda, the team leader and chief commissar of the Revivalist Movement.
According to Rukanda, the NRM constitution is very clear under chapter 5, section 46, subsection 1. It states, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the term of office of elected members of all organs of NRM shall be five years, unless terminated earlier, and the incumbent members shall be eligible for reelection.
Additionally, he added that Article 71 (c) of the Ugandan constitution requires the internal organization of political parties to conform to the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.
“The chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission and the entire team have failed to fulfil their mandate, a core mandate under the NRM Constitution. The excuse of COVID-19 no longer holds water, especially given that Uganda successfully conducted presidential and parliamentary elections during the same period. These elections, marked by mass rallies and extensive public participation, undeniably posed a greater threat to the spread of COVID-19 than the relatively contained NRM internal elections conducted through electoral colleges. These above-mentioned elections aside, we have had more than 9 by-elections since 2021,” said Rukanda.
The group argues that some NRM leaders have also misleadingly told the public that the CEC of the NRM has the power to indefinitely postpone elections. To them, this is false as the CEC, after consultations, can only extend the term of service for only 6 months while the EC of NRM organizes elections.
According to Rukanda, the NRM party cannot claim to be a party that upholds democracy if we do not practice democracy internally. “How can we advocate for national democracy at the national level when we have entirely neglected democracy within our party?” he wondered
“Since 2015, the NRM has failed to issue membership cards, leaving members without any formal identification. The party’s register is nonfunctional, and the Secretariat has not fulfilled its mandate to update or maintain it. The leadership entrusted with these responsibilities, including the Secretary-General and the Director of Mobilization and Cadre Development, must answer for this failure or resign.”
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