We do not need Opposition in Pallisa – MP Ochwa

By Lawrence Okwakol 

Pallisa: The Agule County Member of Parliament David Ochwa on Friday vowed never to allow the National Unity Platform Party (NUP) or any other opposition party to destabilize the peace the NRM has ushered in Pallisa, which was wrecked by rebellion and cattle rustling in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ochwa made the remarks during the burial of his 84-year-old father, Gerald Odeeny, at Odusai cell, Agule town council in Pallisa district, when a group of NUP youth came with national and their party flags for the burial.

“I am not happy for these NUP people to come and want to tilt the image of my county and Pallisa as a district to be mistaken as having opposition; it’s a well-known fact that the entire elective positions in the districts are occupied by NRM,” Ochwa said.

Ochwa said since his father was admitted to Mulago NRM party, stalwarts have been behind and even helped in burial arrangements.

“I have not been given peace of mind while celebrating the life of my father because of the presence of NUP,Ochwa said.

Magidu Dhikusoka, the Pallisa RDC, who came when church was on, got surprised and ordered the lowering of the NUP flag because it was not in order to politicize the burial of a renown NRM elder.

Dhikusoka instructed all the NRM leaders to remove the NUP flag and have it lowered, and he blamed the security detective in Agule town council for not informing him about the anomaly.

“I have been informed that these are Kampala and other places, like Busia, where youth who had come to buy them should take back their nonsense to elsewhere, not my jurisdiction,” Dhikusoka said.

However, Stephen Amukun, whom the team of NUP had come to condole, said his people had come to share with him the grief he was going through after losing a father.

‘Our party president, Robert Kyangulanyi Ssemtamu, alias Bobi Wine, asked the team to come because I pay allegiance to the NUP,”  Amukuran said.

Simon Okuni, the North Bukedi Pentecostal Assemblies of God diocesan secretary, said they went ahead with the burial of their believer as planned.

Okuni said that as Richard Oseku Oriebo, the Kibale county member of parliament, and the RDC came after speeches, he allowed them to greet mourners and comfort MP Ochwa, their colleague, but nearly 25 minutes got wasted as the RDC wanted the NUP to exit, and they refused to lower their flag.

Oseku urged the bereaved family to accommodate what has happened because it’s irreversible.

Simon Okia, the Agule town council chairperson, said the NUP people wanted to erect the two flags, but they didn’t allow them because they remained carrying them.

Okie said when Odeeny was sick, none of these guys came, but they had intentions that have not yielded results because we were denied a platform to speak.

Louis Okwatum, the NRM sub county chairperson of Agule town council, said it was not necessary to disturb the NUP youth because they were like any other mourners and were quietly seated.

“I didn’t see a reason why it was taken as a big issue. When a mad man dances and you clap, he will feel recognized,” Okwatum said.

Okwatum’s statement angered Jane Frances Atuko, the former LC3 chairperson of Agule sub county, who said it was not necessary for an NRM leader to make such an utterance.

“We seem to be having wolves in sheep skins in NRM, which we are going to weed out in the forthcoming elections and have NRM ideologically headed people,” Atuko said.

William Emurwon, the Agule sub county councilor, said the NUP team couldn’t overpower them, but they wanted a decent burial of their mentor.