Lango chief calls for unity after landmark court ruling

The Lango Paramount Chief, His Highness Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii, has urged the Lango community to embrace unity and peace following a High Court ruling in Lira that halted the installation of his rival, Eng Moses Michael Odongo Okune, as the new Paramount Chief of Lango.

On October 31, 2024, Justice Philip Odoki delivered a verdict via email, also declaring the election of Ambassador Dickson Ogwang Okul as the rival paramount chief null and void. The court also issued a permanent injunction forbidding the conflicting parties from performing the functions of the paramount chief and declared that Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii remains the Paramount Chief of Lango.

The court's decision has brought an end to years of division and disharmony, and its leaders are now focused on promoting peace, unity, and development.

In addition, the court ordered the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to degazette Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune and regazette HH Yosam Odur Ebii as Lango Paramount Chief.

Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii welcomed the ruling, urging the Lango community to embrace unity and peace. Through Laury Lawrence Ocen, speaker for the Lango Cultural Foundation, Mzee Ebii hailed the ruling as a pathway to peace, unity, and development.

"Let us avoid acrimony, let us avoid name-calling, and let us avoid sentimental judgment," Ocen said, addressing journalists at Lira Palm Gardens. "We should uphold and respect the court's orders with the utmost dignity, recognizing the vital role that justice plays in maintaining the peace and stability of local society."

Ambassador Dickson Ogwang commended the Ugandan judiciary for its steadfast dedication to upholding the rule of law and delivering fair and impartial judgments.

"We are profoundly grateful to Justice Philip Odoki for his meticulous consideration of all evidence presented and delivering a well-considered judgment that ensured justice was not only done but indeed, to the eyes of the people of Lango and the country, justice is seen to have been done," he said.

Noting the commitment of the judiciary to justice serves as a beacon of hope and a cornerstone of a strong and stable community in Uganda, Ambassador Ogwang emphasized that the outcome of the court ruling represents a significant victory for Lango unity.

Alebton LC5 Chairperson David Kennedy Odongo, also Chairperson of Lango District Chairpersons, reiterated the need for unity, cautioning against other parties attempting to install a rival paramount chief.

"On that note, we are also telling other parties that arising from this judgment, as local government leaders, we want to caution those other parties that we don't need any other paramount chief that will come through the back door," he said.

"As Lango leaders, we are committed to paying allegiance to Mzee Yosam Odur as the paramount chief of Lango. So it is my humble appeal as local government leaders that we need to unite and move forward as the people of Lango so that we can forge a way forward. We can think as a team, we can lobby and cause meaningful development and transformation for the people of Lango," he added.

The Lango community is now looking forward to a brighter future, united under the leadership of Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii. As Mzee Ebii said, "Let peace prevail and in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., let justice reign. Let us move forward as one."