Lango paramount chief moves to block rival chief's coronation

The reigning Paramount chief of Lango, Yosam Odur Ebii, has written to the Inspector General of Police seeking interventions to block the coronation of his rival chief, Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune.

In a letter dated June 18, 2024, Ebii raised concerns over what he described as illegal actions taken by Dr. Okune to overthrow his leadership.

“Since I declared intent to abdicate, and, even before such notice of abdication was published in the government gazette, as required by law, Eng. Dr. Odongo Okune and his group manipulatively stepped up their defiance maneuvers and held an illegal election on March 1, 2024, had himself declared winner of such illegal election,” reads part of the letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police.

Ebii, recognized by the government as the leader of the Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF), early this year announced plans to voluntarily leave the throne.

This was followed by setting up a committee that would prepare the transition processes ahead of November 1, 2024, when he is set to step down from his position.

While the council of cultural leaders wholeheartedly blessed the move, the transition process took a different twist when the cultural leaders decided to speed up the process of electing Ebii’s successor.

On March 1, 2024, the cultural leaders held an election at Akii-bua Stadium site in Lira City, where Eng Moses Michael Odongo Okune was declared the new paramount chief after garnering 1692 votes against his opponent, D.r Dan Okello's   139 votes.

Subsequently, Eng. Odongo appeared in the Uganda Gazette issue of June 10, 2024, where a notice to have him gazetted as the leader of Lango Cultural Institution was published.

Whereas the Lango Cultural Institution electoral commission chairperson Tom Otim described the election of Eng Odongo as free and fair, those loyal to the leadership of Ebii under Lango Cultural Foundation described it as ill-motive

In his letter, Ebii accused Eng. Odongo of running a parallel organization, the Lango Cultural Institution ("Tekwaro A’Lango"), and holding an illegal election.

Recently,  Ebii, was pictured at the Palace in Teboke in Apac District, giving blessings to Dickson Ogwang-Okul, a loyal minister in his cabinet, as his successor.

“The President is very familiar with the defiant behaviours of Eng. Odongo Okune and has ever intervened in the issue, but Odongo remained defiant and disrespectful to me and my administration,” says  Ebii.

The paramount chief has since asked the police chief to stop the coronation of Eng Odongo and to enhance his security and that of his prime minister, Robert James Ajal.

“The purpose of this letter is to request that you stop Eng  Odong Okune from interfering with my Leadership as Won Nyaci me Lango. Stop the purported coronation process, including fundraising drives in Uganda and abroad being done by Eng. Michael Odongo Okune and his group for the purported coronation of November, 2024. It is illegal and fraudulent.

Ebii said his cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, are currently facing ‘unnecessary threats’ in the course of their lawful duties as his loyal subjects and officials.

“I request that you stop all unlawful gatherings and trespass to my throne at Lango Cultural Foundation Headquarters by Eng. Dr. Michael Odongo Okune, who has since locked the offices of my Prime Minister and continued to trespass at the Lango Cultural Centre in Lira City,” says the paramount chief.

Currently, cultural leaders loyal to  Ebii under Lango Cultural Foundation are organising an election which they believe will elect a successor to  in November 2024, while those loyal to Eng Odongo under Lango Cultural Institution are seeking shs2.8 Billion for the coronation scheduled for the same month.