The former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has reminded the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee to maintain the 2016 agreement while approving the then party’s flag bearer for Speakership position.
The Omoro County Member of Parliament said this after submitting his written expression of interest at the NRM Electoral Commission offices in Kampala for the position of the Speaker of Parliament.
As he gets ready to tussle it out with his former boss Rebecca Kadaga, Oulanyah noted that in 2016 before the start of 10th parliament the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) came to a decision to maintain the status quo.
The decision was to allow Kadaga to complete her ten year period as the speaker of parliament just like her predecessor Edward Kiwanuka Senkandi.
In what sounded like “it is now my turn to lead the 11th Parliament”, Oulanyah says that then he respected the decision of the CEC that was communicated by the Party Chairman Yoweri K. Museveni although he was not comfortable with it.
Oulanyah stresses that he agreed in 2016 to maintain the status quo of remaining as the Deputy Speaker, allowing the Kamuli district Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga to finish her 10years of service as the Speaker of Parliament.
According to Oulanyah, in 2016 after the CEC meeting, they decided and the party chairman said they had taken the decision to maintain the status quo to allow the right Honorable Rebecca kadaga to finish her 10 year just like the predecessor because that is what she had requested.
“……so you Jacob Oulanyah you are still young….your time will come, so let the right honorable kadaga finish her ten years then you come, the party chairman said then and now I have come” Oulanyah told reporters this morning.
“I was not extremely comfortable but I was bound by the decision and I respected it”- the outgoing deputy speaker says.
He continues to remind the public that what happened immediately thereafter, that person I stood down for went round and started mobilizing for somebody else to be deputy speaker …but people still made their decision
The NRM-CEC is expected to vet aspirants for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speakership who would be submitted by the party’s electoral commission after expressing interest for elections on Sunday before the general parliamentary polls on May 24th.
Oulanyah who was accompanied by Isingiro Country North MP Bright Rwamirama and other MPs was handed over the guidelines by the NRM party’s Electoral Commission vice chairperson John Kiyagi who asked him to follow them to the dot.
The Omoro County MP pledged to abide by the entire process and respect the outcomes / decision of the party’s highest decision making CEC.
