By KT Reporter
The sharp divisions which began roughly two years ago when Betty Amongi publicly declared she was abandoning Oyam south MP seat to come frustrate fellow minister Jane Ruth Aceng in Lira city, have now escalated.
And as a result, almost each and everyone of the 31 MPs Lango sub region has, has had to take a stand on who they support. Whereas a large number of Lango Parliamentary Group LPG MPs have opted to be secretive and clandestine on who they support, some bold and fearless ones have gone public and continue to openly attack the one they dislike.
This is actually not good for the unity which chairperson Judith Alyek had created in LPG. Those backing Betty Amongi and don’t agree with speaker Anita Among and minister general Kahinda Otafiire and others who have been bashing her, include-Otuke’s Paul Omara who has a personal vendetta against Aceng because she refused to support his view on where the general hospital for Otuke had to be situated.
Even when he professes to be NRM, Omara hasn’t found any problem in publicly demonizing Aceng at Amongi’s public functions. The other is Vicent Cedric Oyet Ebong who is the MP Lira city west division on the UPC ticket. He is now struggling to get re-elected and is angry that Aceng accepted to ally with the more popular Jimmy Awanyi, a renegade UPC who is standing on the independent ticket after accusing Amongi and Akena of aiding the rigging that denied him the UPC flag.
Otuke east MP Julius Acon who also chairs NRM in Otuke district too is anti-Aceng. He is now with Amongi, having defected from the Aceng group not very long ago. The others are UPCs who have no choice but to back Betty Amongi and these include Erute south’s Jonathan Odur and Kwania MP Ken Auma.
Odur had to support Amongi because she had supported Akena’s decision to fire Santa Alum Sandra Ogwang from the position of UPC whip in parliament in order for the job to be given to him, only to be blocked by speaker Anita Among.
THOSE BACKING ACENG:
The influential Lango MPs backing Aceng include the GCW Hamson Obua who represents Ajuri county in Alebtong. Obua has openly been saying many good things about Aceng making it clear that it would be betrayal to the president for Lira city voters not to vote her back to parliament. He has remarkably been careful, being the senior leader and LPG member he is, not to publicly destroy fellow minister Betty Amongi. He has demonstrated that it’s possible to promote Aceng without destroying Amongi.
Santa Alum the woman MP for Oyam and a close relative to Betty Amongi is for Aceng and has been public about this. She de-campaigns Amongi at public functions while calling on the residents to stick with Aceng.
Among is angry and has been reciprocating by fighting Alum on the ground in Oyam where she is seeking re-election for the fourth term as woman MP, still on the UPC ticket. Amongi started feuding Santa Alum when it turned out she was doing very well as one of the MPs from Oyam. She disliked the fact that Santa Alum had set such a high standard for fellow MPs from Oyam by frequently attending community events on the weekend and started feuding her. She was also funding the roofing of many churches in Oyam, something which put Amongi under pressure as voters demnded to know why she wasn’t doing the same.
LPG chairperson Judith Alyek is also an outspoken Aceng supporter. Others are Kwania MP Tony Ayoo and Lango’s longest-serving Felix Okot Ogong who is facing UPC candidate Vincent Opito, a retired head teacher who in 2021 challenged him on the FDC ticket. There are several others who will be profiled in our part 2 of this story. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com.
