UPC in fresh court battle over leadership

A former aspirant for the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party presidency has sued leaders of the two factions of  the party.

In a March suit filed at the High Court,  Mr Joseph Pinyitek Ochieno contends that Mr Peter Walubiri and Mr Jimmy Akena are in the  leadership positions illegally. 

Mr Ochieno, a former UPC spokesperson, who contested for the party’s presidency in December 2020, seeks to block Mr Akena from presenting himself as the party president, and also quash Mr Walubiri’s election. 

“I have asked court to instruct Mr Akena to stop forthwith presenting himself as the leader of UPC because he is not. My focus is to claim the leadership of the party. I will go to the Electoral Commission and any other organisation that parades Akena as leader and we will start from there,” Mr Ochieno told Sunday Monitor in an interview on Thursday. 

Mr Akena has continued to conduct party business and occupy the party headquarters at Uganda House despite a Court of Appeal ruling that nullified his presidency in September 2020. 

On the other hand, he accuses Walubiri of not doing enough to force Mr Akena out of the party headquarters. 
According to Mr Ochieno, the duo have been involved in divisive politics that has left the party in the shadows of national politics. 

“I had over several months sought to engage both Akena and Walubiri directly to encourage them to talk so that we could have one leader and that in the event that election process started for 2021, party members are not left in darkness and confusion that we had,” he said.
He added that he wants a review of the party president elections conducted in December 2020, where Mr Walubiri was declared winner.

On nullifying Mr Akena’s presidency, the Court of Appeal directed the party to conduct fresh elections.
Mr Ochieno says the election process was manipulated and results altered in favour of Mr Walubiri, who won with 278 votes. Ochieno came second with 271 votes. 
Mr Ochieno accuses Walubiri of blocking voters, forging signatories, and altering results. 

“I have filed a case for a judicial review challenging the election of Walubiri, and that Akena be injuncted to stop him from acting as leader. 

Right now we have Akena and Walubiri parading themselves as leaders. None of them is the leader. Walubiri simply holds the office, coming from Joseph Bboosa.  That is the nearest level of legitimacy he can have, not one following an election in December because I won that election,” Mr Ochieno said.  

In a phone interview, Mr Walubiri dismissed  the  claims saying   Mr Ochieno declined to take a position in the party, adding that this has sabotaged efforts of unity and reconciliation. 

“He is off target, I could not alter what I was not in charge of. He has done the civilised thing to take his grievances to court but it is a publicity stunt because it was a transparent process,” he said.
Efforts to get comment from Mr Akena were futile by press time.

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