“Be informed that APG has 30 members and 3 ex-officios. Therefore, five members out of 30 cannot sit and appoint themselves to the leadership of the APG without following due process. The APG leaders are elected but not appointed,” Anywar’s statement reads in part.
Kilak North Member of Parliament
Anthony Akol has challenged the election of the new chairperson and executive members
of the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG), describing the process as illegal and
fake. Akol, who has been the APG chairperson, since July 2021, says that the new team of APG leaders voted themselves into
office without the knowledge of the majority of legislators.
His uproar comes nearly five days
after a 15-member executive of APG was unveiled by the new Secretary General
also the Kilak South legislator Gilbert Olanya. The members among others include Amos
John Okot, the Agago North legislator who was reportedly elected as the new APG
Chairperson with his vice Betty Aol Ocan, Gulu City Woman Legislator, while the Deputy
Secretary General is Denis Onekalit Amere, the Kitgum Municipality legislator.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network
in an interview over the weekend, Akol claims that he is still the legitimate
Chairperson of APG until a genuine election for new leaders is held. His two and half year's term of
office however had ended on January 23 this year since his election in July
2021.
According to Akol, the election
was conducted in his absence when he had traveled out of the country on a 14-day
Parliamentary budget committee work. Akol explains that out of the 30
members of the APG, only five legislators sat down and claimed they had
conducted an election against an agreed date for an election to be held on
February 22.
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He says that those who claimed to
have taken over the mantle of the APG have all along been fighting his
leadership due to his stance on the eviction of Balaalo cattle keepers from the
Acholi Sub-region.
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Ricky Richard Anywar, the Agago
West County legislator whose term of office as the Vice Chairperson of APG expired
last month in a statement noted that the purported election is an intrigue and
external influence aimed at tearing down the association of Acholi legislators.
Anywar noted that a genuine and transparent
election is being arranged and shall be conducted on February 22 from
Parliament following the rightful procedures adding that those interested should
express their interests.
“Be informed that APG has 30 members and 3 ex-officios.
Therefore, five members out of 30 cannot sit and appoint themselves to the leadership
of the APG without following due process. The APG leaders are elected but not
appointed,” Anywar’s statement reads in part.
But John Amos Okot, the new APG
Chairperson who had been the Secretary General of APG says the term of office
of the former Chairperson and his executives ended last month and they had no
power to call for an election. Okot notes that shortly after the
term of office of the APG Chairperson and executives expired, the powers of
calling for election remained with him as a former Secretary General which he
transparently did.
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Okot denied allegations that the
new members were illegally elected and had an ill motive towards tearing apart
the umbrella association for legislators in the Acholi Sub-region adding that
there won't be a second election. He said the new APG chairperson,
his vision is to continue the fight against the illegal settlement of migrant
cattle keepers arguing that the implementation of the eviction has been flawed
by fraud.
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Gulu City Woman legislator Betty
Aol Ocan who has been elected as the APG Vice Chairperson however accused Akol
of failing to offer transparent leadership and resolve conflicts among the
legislators from Acholi. Aol says whereas she didn’t participate in the
purported election, she has welcomed her new role and vowed to fill in the gaps
left by past APG executive members.
Acholi Parliamentary Group was
founded in 1989 and has over the years been regarded as one of the vocal
convocations for Acholi legislators in addressing emerging challenges facing
the Sub-region. However, infights among the members and power struggles have
seen the once-powerful association slowly disintegrating.
