NRM CEC differs on Kadaga, Oulanya battle

The Central Executive Committee (CEC) , which is the top organ of the ruling NRM party on Monday failed to come to a substantial conclusion regarding the parliamentary speakership race.

Whereas it was expected that the party’s top organ would determine the fate of the heated speakership race largely seen to be between Rebecca Kadaga, who has been speaker for 10 years, and Jacob  Oulanyah, who has been deputy for 10 years, there was no conclusion over the same.

According to sources that preferred anonymity but attended the CEC meeting at State House Entebbe, by close of the same at around 9pm, the meeting attended by both Kadaga and Oulanyah ended in a stalemate on the previous resolution that Oulanyah pointed out giving him mandate as the next speaker after ending of Kadaga’s 10 year tenure.

“Kadaga stuck to her guns and argued that no  decision should  be made based on a non-existent agreement,” the source told this website.

Accordingly the members of the top organ for the ruling NRM party were prompted into a back and forth argument.

However, with both sides seemingly not coming closer to an agreement,  President Yoweri Museveni  , who also doubles as the party chairman broke the deadlock by suggesting another meeting.

"You have failed on this matter.  I suggest we meet again," he said.

Another source who attended the meeting confirmed that there no conclusion reached.

“There was no conclusion reached at but we just gave guidelines,” the source told the Nile Post.

Vetting candidates

The meeting also guided that all party members interested in contesting for speaker and deputy speaker will express interest and later be vetted.

It was also agreed that after vetting, the matter will be decided by the NRM party caucus that sits at the Kololo independence grounds on Saturday ahead of the speaker elections set for Monday, May, 24.

It is therefore expected that the NRM party caucus sitting at Kololo might determine the fate of the speakership race on Saturday at Kololo.

Stalemate

There has been a stalemate for a long time on the choice of candidate in the speakership race for the ruling NRM party.

Oulanyah’s camp openly says he is the rightful candidate for party in the speakership race after an alleged 2016 agreement that he lets Kadaga complete her 10 year tenure as speaker of parliament and he takes over from there.

However, on the other side, Kadaga has vehemently dismissed the same, saying there has never been such an agreement.