Last Updated on: 5th July 2023, 09:18 pm
Oyam, July 5, 2023: On July 4 in Iceme sub-county, the Secretary General of the NRM, Richard Todwong told the party’s National Chairman, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni that over 900 UPC members had crossed to the yellow bus.
The converts, Todwong said boarded alongside their top leaders, Krispus Ayena Odongo, George Ojwang Opota and Opio Rashid.
The top three converts would later be asked to join the Government Chief Whip, Denis Hamson Obua, Lawrence Egole (RCC of Lira) and Towdong himself to the podium.
After they arrived, each of them was given some minutes to speak, which they used to say “why they converted, and how UPC lied to them for years”, among others.
Ayena, distinctively and quickly also used the podium to publicly ask his (their) new boss, President Museveni for deployment, declaring, “…I’m ready.”
Hours after their defection, UPC party President Jimmy Akena spoke, saying, “I’ve not lost my identity.” Read his full statement here.
Now, with less than 15 hours to the voting day, Thursday, one of the UPC’s top leaders has spoken about the defection.
Micheal Osinde is the party’s national workers’ leader. He calls the defection “propaganda”.
“We are in Oyam. It’s propaganda that 900 UPC is not only unrealistic but rather baseless because only the known three who had crossed early in the last two years are the very people who thought they would make news to discredit our strong UPC candidate.”
Osinde adds that the propaganda will not affect the massive votes for UPC.
Within six days of their campaign trails in different sub-counties in the constituency, UPC said it “realistically” welcomed 175 converts from NRM, FDC and NUP.
UPC’s Dr Eunice Apio Otuko, Samuel Okello Engola Jr of NRM; Daniel Okello of NUP and Freddy Newton Okello of FDC are all in the race to replace Col Rtd Okello Engola Macodwogo who was assassinated on May 2.