The Chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary affairs committee, Jacob Oboth Oboth has dismissed claims that the content on extending terms of the president and legislators from five to seven years, has been included in the anticipated report to parliament.
The West Budama County MP is supposed to table the report to parliament any time soon, but in the past two sessions, the item has not appeared on the order paper, stirring more anxiety among fellow legislators and the public.
Since Tuesday, almost all members of parliament have been thronging the August House ready to receive and debate the long awaited report on the controversial constitutional amendment bill 2017 that seeks to remove both the lower and upper cap on those with the intent of contesting for the office of the presidency.
But the failure to receive a report for the two consecutive days, has made both pro and anti-age limit legislators interpret the hidden intention of this move. The MPs claim that Oboth and his team are still sneaking in other items in the report.
The legislators including; Gilbert Oluanya (Kilak south), Francis Mwijukye (Buhweju) and Luttamaguzi Ssemakula (Nakaseke South) also claim that the delayed tabling of the bill is as a result of the delayed consensus on the amount of money to be received by legislators supporting the Raphael Magyezi bill.
However, Oboth says they are ready to present the report should the office of the speaker call upon them.
Now it’s not yet clear whether the report on the age bill will be tabled on Thursdays or be pushed to next week.
It should be noted that NRM legislators according to chief whip Ruth Nankabirwa resolved to support a proposal by Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga which sought to extend their tenure from five to seven years.
Nile Post has however caught wind of information that Oboth’s report to parliament recommends an extension to the tenure of the presidency from five to seven years.
We have also since learned that the report recommends the scrapping of the age limit but keeps intact the lower cap of 35 years.
