Akena ‘s UPC out of presidential race
Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) have declared that they will not field a presidential flag bearer in the 2021 General Election.
Mr Akena said he opted to run for the Lira East Municipality parliamentary seat instead of contesting for the country’s top seat.
While speaking to Daily Monitor yesterday, he said top party officials were involved in making the decision. “This is not a new position. We have discussed at different levels and we continue to discuss it,” he said.
He cited Article 13 of the UPC Constitution which he said provides that the party president elected by
the delegates conference becomes the party flag bearer in a general election.
Mr Akena, who leads on of the factions, was elected unopposed on August 1 at a delegates conference which has since been contested by other UPC members as illegal.
Also read: List of MPs who voted for the removal of age limit.
This becomes the second time in a row UPC does not take a shot at the presidency. Mr Akena also declined to run for presidency in the 2016 General Election and the party rallied behind former Prime Minister in government, Amama Mbabazi, under The Democratic Alliance election taskforce.
The last time UPC fielded a presidential candidate was in 2011 elections under the then party president, Mr Olara Otunnu.
Mr Akena said Opposition political parties need to prioritise where they can invest and avoid going into elections unguided. He cited how the fight to block the amendment and removal of the presidential age limit clause in the national Constitution failed because the Opposition could not raise one-third of the numbers required in the House to defeat the motion
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