Opposition Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) under the leadership of Lira Municipality Member of Parliament (MP) Jimmy Michael Akena has threatened to take on the former party Vice President under Dr. Olara Otunnu administration, Joseph Bossa over a public notice that is thought to be demeaning to the person of Akena.
Joseph Bossa is currently the party president under Otunnu’s administration after Otunnu officially resigned from steering the party on July 1, 2016.
The threat follows a public notice issued by Bossa in the Daily Monitor of August 27 in his capacity as the party president warning the public against dealing with Akena and his administration which is currently occupying the party Headquarters on 6th floor of Uganda House.
In the notice, Bossa argued that Akena was never elected as party president since what happened on May 30 during the party district conference elections was just nomination for UPC presidential candidate whose winner would wait for approval from the members during the Delegates Conference.
“The July 1, 2015, consultative meeting which Akena illegally convened and converted into a Delegates Conference was not a Delegates Conference under the UPC constitution and all the decisions it purportedly made were and are illegal and of no consequence on UPC,” Bossa noted in his notice.
Bossa added, “Akena had no mandate to call a Delegates Conference of the party and the position was confirmed by the judicial review of Justice Yasin Nyanzi of December 11, 2015 in the Civil Division of the High Court that Akena was never elected and he is not the UPC party president and that all and everything that he had purported to do as the UPC President were null and void. This court decision was never appealed and it stands immutable.”
On learning about the notice, Chimp reports contacted the Akena administration Spokesperson, Michael Osinde Orach who described it as disgraceful. He said Bossa was only desperate to lead the party despite losing in the district conference elections.
Osinde told Chimpreports on Friday that it was sub judicial and in Court Contempt for Bossa to issue such a public notice yet there is still a case on the matter awaiting determination.
“Bossa deliberately issued the public notice to demean the person of Akena, knowing that the Court of Appeal had issued an order to maintain the status quo which is that Akena is the party president until the matter is disposed of,” Osinde said.
“The status quo is that Akena who had been gazatted by the Electoral Commission remains the party president.
“Bossa who was quoting Justice Yasin Nyanzi’s ruling in the civil division of the High court should understand that Nyanzi’s ruling did not nullify Akena’s party presidency but questioned the Delegates Conference which didn’t touch anything to do with the district conference elections which brought him into power,” Osinde observed.
Osinde remarked that Nyanzi’s ruling was however appealed before the Court of Appeal by Justice Steven Kavuma with an order putting on hold the decision of the High Court until the main Appeal is disposed of hence maintaining Akena as the UPC president.
“By contemptuously ignoring the fact, Bossa and the self-seeking clique in Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) have opted to attempt to dupe the public to perpetuate the fraud ongoing at MOF.”
“There is an issue of sub judice because the matter is already before Court, there is Contempt of Court because an order was issued to that effect and for those reasons, we are going to take him on as this leadership because he has disregarded a court order.”
“We are waiting for the next hearing of the case and after we shall reprimand Bossa; It is ridiculous for Bossa to accept air and begin asserting himself as the UPC president, he doesn’t have any power, the power which Otunnu claims to have given him is contested that’s why he resigned.”