Don’t plunge country into chaos, Obote’s cousin warns Museveni

Akbar Adoko Nekyon, a veteran politician and cousin to Dr Milton Obote, a two-time Uganda president, has warned that the country could plunge into chaos if the issue of the proposed amendment of the presidential age-limit is mishandled.

Speaking to The Nile Post from his country home in Akara village, Apac district, Nekyon warned the political leadership that there could be bloodshed and a return to the dark days of the past if grave mistakes are committed today.

“The most important thing is that the state should remain stable. It is my prayer that we shouldn’t go back to blood shed… that we should not repeat the mistakes that we the Obotes , the Nekyons have made,” Nekyon said.

He said the Constitution should be a respected document and should not be amended on the whims of a single individual.

“If you are going to visit a constitution every other week, its better not to have a constitution. We took over the British system of governance and the British do not have a written constitution. It is only in the minds of people but that constitution is more stable than ours,” Nekyon said.

Nekyon has a personal history with President Museveni.

In 1970 when Museveni was fresh from university, it is Nekyon who introduced him to Obote and helped find him a job as a research assistant in the President’s Office.

Nekyon proposed a return to the parliamentary system of government in which the party with the majority in parliament elects the country’s leader.

He argued that the system ensures that power is invested in institutions rather than an individual and also renders the age limit and term limit debate useless because the parties and parliament are able to sort out leadership issues.

Nekyon said the current presidential system has commercialised politics with huge sums of money spent during presidential campaigns.

Commenting on the proposal to amend article 26 and allow government to compulsorily acquire land before compensation, Nekyon said: “The motion that land belongs to the people was moved by me in the Constituent Assembly, I should be the saddest person to see some trying to remove that provision.”

He said the country should to interrogate the cause of lack of mistrust in the state that appears to be a recent trend and has led people to resist government projects.

Nekyon served in Uganda’s first post independence cabinet and was a legislator for 18 years.

He expressed shock at the events that transpired in the House that saw officers from the elite special forces command invade parliament to eject MPs.

Nekyon argued MPs should acknowledge the powers of the speaker and respect her in order to facilitate the smooth conduct of business.

He said the speaker should have adjourned the House sine die to allow tempers cool down instead of inviting troops to take over the work of the parliamentary police.

He said the House finds itself in a difficult situation that requires national reconciliation.