Stakeholders of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) in the Kigezi region have questioned their party president, Hon. James Michael Jimmy Akena, about why the party did not field a presidential candidate in the last election.
The stakeholders raised this concern during a meeting with Hon. Akena held at the UPC office in Kabale Municipality on Saturday
stakeholders led by Rubanda District UPC Chairman Hon. Haabaasa Obed, expressed their concerns regarding the absence of a presidential candidate in the last election.
Haabaasa noted that supporters questioned, “If we give you votes and win, who will be president?” He added that upon realizing the party’s lack of a candidate, many UPC supporters decided to vote for other candidates because of not having presidential candidate.
During the meeting, Obed asked party president Hon. James Michael Jimmy Akena to clarify who the real president of UPC is, between himself and Peter Walubiri. He further questioned how the party could remain viable without a presidential candidate, citing former UPC leader Ambassador Olara Otunnu’s failure to even vote for himself.
Haabaasa also raised concerns about the party’s identity, stating that “if UPC is among the Opposition parts, why are some of its members seemingly aligned with the ruling NRM government?”
He says that members who left the party to form other factions or those who joined other parties because of different reasons its high time to call them to come back through dialogue, conference, meetings or verbal communication or telephone so that UPC is progressing.
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Kabagabe Charles Twebaze, a UPC member, added that action must be taken on the issues raised by the people, as the party is losing ground and regressing.
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In response to Obed, UPC party president Hon. James Michael Jimmy Akena explained why he did not contest in the 2021 general elections.
Akena stated that during the 2021 elections, there were numerous restrictions due to COVID-19, which made it challenging to campaign effectively. He added that the party also faced financial constraints, leading to his decision not to run as a presidential candidate.
He emphasized that the party’s focus at the time was on securing parliamentary seats, an effort that enabled UPC to win some positions. Akena further confirmed that he will contest as a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.
He urged all party members to mobilize and focus on securing votes for UPC candidates in the next elections.
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