By Patrick Okino
Lira
Two former parliamentary candidates for Kole County in Apac district have bounced back to the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), after contesting as independents in the last elections and lost.
UPC spokespeson Michael Ogwal Achonga (centre) welcomes Peter Ocen Akalo (right) back to the party (picture by Patrick Okino)
Addressing journalist at Paternal Motel in Lira Town last week, the UPC spokesman for Lango sub-region, Mike Ogwal Achonga, said Henry Stanley Omodi Okot, former Kole MP and Peter Ocen Akalo have rejoined the party.
He said the duo contested as independents after they were defeated at the UPC primary elections by current MP John Ogwal Beridwogo in 2006.
“We need all our members who fell out over wrangles to come back and reconcile because UPC has started stabilizing,” Achonga said while introducing Ocen to journalists in a briefing that Omodi did not attend.
He described as misleading and empty propaganda claims by the opposition MPs in Lango that the party was dead and did not go beyond Karuma Bridge.
Achonga said the party would organise rallies in Dokolo and Amolatar districts to defused lies paddled on their supporters when four MPs signed a pact with the FDC early this month.
Four MPs that included Cecilia Ogwal (Dokolo), B`Leo Ojok (Kioga), Rebecca Amuge Otengo (Lira) and Ben Wacha (Oyam North) and three LC5 chairmen signed a pact with FDC.
“Ogwal was misleading the people of Lango that she was a member of UPC and that we rigged her out during UPC primaries in 2005. But we are happy that the truth has come,” Achonga added.
Ocen said he bounced back to the party because he had seen the party gaining ground not only in Lango but in the whole country.
He said they solicited votes for the FDC leader Dr Kiza Besigye two times thinking he would kick out President Museveni but he failed.
I appreciate the idear that OCEN AKALO took to return to UPC as a member of UPC but I wound also like to warn him that he should always make mature decision in his life as a politician because as he keeps on changing like a chameleon he will lose focus and sense of direction once and for all. A good politician will always accept defeat and wait for chance on his way and his life. Remember Lango saying ‘cingi acel pe pedoo ……’