Museveni to meet Greater North MPs over Speaker race
President Museveni is set to meet Members of Parliament from the Greater North region of the country to discuss a wide range of issues, the Nile Post has learned.
This website has learned from sources that the meeting to happen later today at the State Lodge in Nakasero will among others discuss the Speakership race and deceased Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s burial.
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The meeting is set to be attended by Members of Parliament from West Nile, Acholi, and Lango subregions.
The development comes on the backdrop of threats by the group that they will not participate in the forthcoming speakership election after the position was not reserved for Northern Uganda.
The group in a petition to President Museveni who is also the NRM National Chairman on Wednesday said that since the northern region overwhelmingly supported his candidature and the ruling party in general in the just-concluded general election, it was only fair that the position of Speaker is reserved for them for the next four years.
“If the proposal is not tenable, then the 102 members of parliament from these parliamentary groups can only send in their apologies for they shall not be able to attend the election of the Speaker slated for March 25, 2022,” the group said in a petition to the president but also copied to the NRM Secretary General, party electoral commission, and all NRM CEC members.
“It is our further wish that in the event of such, we are allowed to continue to mourn our deceased son during this time.”
The MPs insisted that this can only change if President Museveni intervenes.
However, on Wednesday, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) which is the top organ of the ruling NRM party endorsed Deputy Speaker Anita Among as the NRM flagbearer in the Speakership race to the detriment of the Greater North MPs who had wanted one of their own to be chosen.
According to CEC, by endorsing Anita to stand for speaker, the top party organ was following a precedent set many years ago and the same was followed to ensure Jacob Oulanyah who had been Deputy Speaker be fronted for the Speakership.
“Having noted that the NRM party has established a culture and practice of elevating the Deputy speaker to the position of Speaker, even when there has not been any disruption and now even more when there is an emergency, CEC endorses Among Anita Annet for the position of Speaker of the 11th parliament," CEC said in a statement released on Wednesday evening.
