By Our Reporters
SOROTI CITY
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party Vice President Eastern Uganda has once again made direct attacks at his arch rival, Sanjay Tanna who stood against him in the last Party elections for the same seat.
Cap. Mike Mukula made these attacks while blaming the Vice President for allegedly working in isolation, hobnobbing with opposition and above all using ‘foreigners’ in canvassing votes for Edmund Herbert Ariko, the NRM Candidate in the just concluded Soroti City East by-election. Ariko was declared winner of the hotly contested two horse race with FDC’s Moses Attan Okia. Ariko got 9,407 votes against Attan’s 8,771 votes.
Mukula addressed the press the following day, Friday 29th July where he accused H.E Jessica Alupo of carrying personal grudges into the Party affairs.
“I noticed that my sister H.E Jessica Alupo was working in isolation not with the party structures and sometimes working with the opposition. I am concerned of these internal contradictions within the party, NRM is a mass party but individual fights are being brought in and it’s seriously weakening the party,” he said.
According to Mukula, the vice President played cards of intrigue, manipulation and scheming while camping in Soroti with MPs and cabinet ministers who are loyal to her.
“I will not be part of this division; I would rather step aside from being the chairperson of the party in the region. The vice President brought Sanjay Tanna from Tororo to mobilize the election here; this was provoking and it’s like pouring salt in a cup of tea.” He said.
“You bring Sanjay Tanna from Tororo to re-organise the Party here in Soroti! What are these people doing here?” He added.
Mukula and Sanjay were rivals for the position of NRM vice chairperson for Eastern Region in the 2021 election polls where Mukula narrowly won the seat.
Interestingly, Sanjay Tanna was not the only ‘foreigner’ that camped in Soroti to ensure Ariko’s victory.
Others were the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong (an Acholi), Rose Senninde (Buganda), Agnes Nandutu, (Bugisu) Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa (Western Uganda) and Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairman from Tororo.
Others from Teso sub region included, Minister for Internal Affairs Jeje Odongo, State Minister for Works Musa Ecweru, State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa Abeku, State Minister for Energy Sidronius Okaasai, State Minister for Teso Affairs Kenneth Obote Ongalo, and Junior Sports and Education Minister Peter Ogwang.
During the race for the NRM Regional Vice Chairman Eastern Uganda, Mukula called Sanjay Tanna a foreigner who has no business participating in the Country’s politics.
He called for the attention of the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who also doubles as the National chairperson for the NRM party to address the matter.
“I will involve the President in this matter together with some religious leaders. My sister the Vice President likes involving in petty quarrels; I encourage her to embrace everybody like the president does” he noted
The disagreement with NRM bigwigs in Teso has its roots in Katakwi according to Mukula. He stressed that the election of 2021 caused a division between Peter Ogwang the MP Ngariam County when he backed Violet Akurut for the NRM flag bearer and the Vice President eventually getting elected on an independent ticket.
Mukula suggested that the Vice President sidelined whomever she saw moving with Ogwang.
In this election, Ariko was working in the office of the speaker and hence Peter Ogwang having been close to the speaker and a friend to Ariko campaigned for him in the just concluded bye-election. This to Mukula is what caused the difference between NRM leaders in the Soroti city east by election.
