NRM election: Odoi petitions Museveni over Basajjabalaba
Dr Tanga Odoi
KAMPALA- The National Resistance Movement (NRM) electoral commission says it has petitioned President Museveni to handle Bushenyi District party chairman, Hajj Hassan Basajjabalaba, for allegedly fuelling election violence and dividing party members in the ongoing primaries.
In a telephone interview yesterday, the party electoral commission chairman, Dr Tanga Odoi, said as the organ responsible for party elections, they will not tolerate the growing acts of indiscipline among some candidates characterised by excessive arrogance, violence, impunity, intimidation and ego. He said some cases will be referred to the party disciplinary committee.
“Indiscipline is growing and we have decided to refer all the future cases to the party disciplinary committee. In Bushenyi, the district chairman Hajj Basajjabalaba is accused of dividing the NRM party and we have sent a petition to President Museveni to handle him,” Dr Odoi said.
He said during his tour in western Uganda last week, he identified the causes of conflict and in some instances he reconciled the warring parties such as in Hoima, where they wanted to suspended elections but he granted them to continue after the candidates reconciled.
“In Isingiro District, we had cases of sub-county registrars recruiting and dismissing junior officers without informing the district party chairman. In Bukanga, we had two political camps of Mzee Nathan Byanyima and Stephen Kangwagye but we resolved and agreed to pull together,” he said.
Dr Odoi said in Sheema District, minister of science, technology and innovation, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, and his rival Dicksons Kateshumba are always despising each other.
He said in Kazo, three aspirants Molly Kamukama, Anna Ruyondo Lumumba and Jennifer Muhesi are intimidating each other, while in Toroma in Katakwi District, there are attempts by the candidates to influence the registrars to tamper with the voters’ register.
He said today he will travel to Koboko in West Nile where the incumbent Evelyn Anite is tussling it out with Dr Charles Ayume.
In Serere County, he said they have received two petitions, where the incumbent Patrick Okabe and a new entrant Phillip Ouchor are contesting each other’s academic qualifications.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Basajjabalaba were fruitless as he did not answer our repeated calls and neither did he respond to our text messages.
According to Dr Odoi, last week thugs suspected to have been hired by the incumbent Hoima District Woman MP Harriet Businge Mugenyi’s camp beat up Beatrice Wembabazi into coma.
Dr Odoi said, however, the victim and the accused reached an amicable agreement and agreed to carry on with peaceful campaigns.
