KAMPALA – The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has said selfishness is to blame for the woes afflicting the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, as he commences a West Nile tour to reconcile divided members.
Oulanyah, who was elected as NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Region said there is a time-barred need to set aside individual differences in order to deliver victory for the party.
“The only problem we have in the party is that we all speak and do not listen to each other; we forget the reasons why we joined the NRM and why we became part of the structures. We compromise everything that has to do with the principles of the party,” said Oulanyah.
He counseled party members to down the anger for the good of the party.
“The NRM is a family; we may have disagreements but those disagreements should not make the party collapse [because] if we do not act in the interest of the party, we are going to supply the opposition with many of our seats,” he said.
Oulanyah has been dispatched by party Chairman, President Yoweri Museveni to conciliate disenchanted members reeling from NRM’s fractious primaries.
Oulanyah also set ground rules for the party’s mobilisation strategy, warning all members to mobilise for the party where they have influence, criticising the practice of forming amorphous pressure groups consisting of individuals not native to the area, purporting to spearhead election taskforces.
“You will not see anybody coming from Kampala to say I am mobilising for the President, in other words, you will do the mobilisation yourselves,” he said.
In the meeting, a section of party members who participated in the primaries resolved to support the flag-bearers.
Mr Ahmed Musa Anguyo declared his support for Mr Geofrey Feta, his former bitter rival for the Ayivu East flag-bearer.
In Ayivu West, Fred Bada and Denis Anguyo resolved to rally behind John Lematia, against whom they fiercely fought for the flag.
Arua Central flag-bearer, Jackson Atima Lee’s fortunes improved after Godfrey Obiga and Robert Ejiku abandoned the race in his favour.
Oulanyah continues with the series of reconciliation meetings to Thursday.
The State Minister for Finance, Hon Gabriel Ajedra who is also the NRM Chairman for Arua City, said President Museveni will be counting on the area party leaders for his victory.
