EC still recognises Akena as UPC leader

The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it still recognises Mr Jimmy Akena as the president of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), two weeks after the Court of Appeal nullified his position and ordered fresh party elections.
 Mr Paul Bukenya, the EC spokesperson, told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview that no changes have been effected to the party leadership despite meeting with Mr Pater Walubiri, whose party faction won the court case against Mr Akena.
“There is a status in our records that has not changed, and it is still maintained, with Mr Akena and his leadership team. We do not have any notice to that effect,” Mr Bukenya said yesterday.
This followed a meeting between a delegation led by Mr Walubiri and the EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, on September 16.
Mr Bukenya said the issues concerning the UPC leadership is related to internal party politics and EC preferred to stay out of such proceedings until they are fully resolved.
“We had a meeting with those members of UPC. It was on their request and we had some discussions, which we will not discuss in the media. The meeting we had with [Mr] Walubiri related to matters which are before court and as a commission, we considered what we discussed and we will await the decision of court and we will determine our appropriate course of action [concerning the legitimate leadership of UPC],”  he said.
Mr Bukenya did not specify the exact decision the commission is awaiting given that the deciding appeal has been disposed of.
The EC is mandated by law to register all political parties. The registration includes a party representative, and the EC website currently bears Mr Micheal Osinde, who is the workers representative in Mr Akena’s shadow cabinet.

What Walubiri faction says
Mr Isa Otto, the secretary general of the Walubiri-led group, said they had engaged EC on the changes announced by  the court.
“They did not give us any contrary position on whether they would disregard us or that they would continue to regard Akena.... They did not bring any alternative argument to deter us from going on with our activities… they told us to carry on with what we are doing, and that they shall communicate with us,” Mr Otto said in an interview yesterday.
The Walubiri group has issued an electoral roadmap for the party and unlike the Akena faction, they intend to field a presidential candidate in the 2021 General Election.
The Akena group, despite being outlawed, has also continued to conduct electoral activities in preparation for 2021 General Election