By Jamil Kazibwe
As has been argued repeatedly, Tanga Odoi’s core competencies as chair of the NRM EC have left much to be desired. His distorted view of his job description is that of an autocratic bureaucrat who imposes his will on others. This has allowed him to overshadow the other six commissioners, turning the NRM EC into a one-man show. He is clearly a square peg in a round hole when it comes to managing the party’s internal electoral processes. A prime example of this was the youth league elections in Kololo.
Despite common sense dictating that he should have recused himself due to a glaring conflict of interest since his biological son was a candidate, he went ahead and declared his son the winner amidst widespread protests from the youth. Fortunately, the NRM party Chairman was present and quickly called for the intervention of the party’s elections tribunal.
The tribunal has now issued its damning verdict, handing down a scathing indictment of the professor from Kisoko. In its ruling, which nullified the results, the tribunal stated categorically that Tanga should not be involved in any way with the fresh elections for the youth league chairperson. This aligns perfectly with President Museveni’s earlier wise counsel that Tanga Odoi cannot be part of the solution to a crisis he himself created for the NRM.
Simply put, Tanga is a massive liability to the party, having inflicted immeasurable damage that will be costly to undo. As Rt. Hon. Kigongo embarks on the challenging task of fostering cohesion and reconciliation within the NRM, Tanga should have the humility to pack his bags and return to Kisoko without interfering with the party’s healing process.
I commend the tribunal for its timely and unenviable task of cleaning up Tanga’s mess. Aluta continua.
The author is an NRM cadre and a patriotic Ugandan
