Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) contested president, Mr Jimmy Akena, is all about badmouthing President Museveni for all his recent political woes. Mr Akena missed the nomination to stand as a presidential candidate in 2026 simply because of a court ruling challenging his status as UPC party president. This was after his fellow senior UPC officials Joseph Ochieno and Dennis Enap went to court contesting his stay in office beyond the mandatory two five-year terms.
Strangely, after that debacle, Mr Akena is all over accusing President Museveni of frustrating his presidential ambitions and undermining Uganda’s oldest political party. In his delusion, he has publicly urged people in the Lango Sub-region to shun President Museveni and deny him votes come January 15, 2026. The Electoral Commission (EC), in its September 22 communication, argued that Akena’s term as UPC president expired on August 1, and, therefore, he lacked the mandate to stand as the party’s flagbearer. Clearly, Akena’s woes were orchestrated by his colleagues, who apparently, were stopping his mechanisations to change the party constitution and have him re-elected for the third term.
Speaking in Lira City during a recent homecoming event organised by some party loyalists, Akena said the ruling government has persistently interfered with institutions to weaken UPC’s influence. ‘Today, I decided to start with a gospel song, and the key of the song is that my tomorrow must be greater than today, and it doesn’t matter what they do to me, what they say, whatever they do, I am moving ahead for a better tomorrow,’ he said.
Mr Akena knelt when the national anthem was sung as a sign of protest, urging all UPC supporters and well-wishers to protest the perceived injustice in the same manner. He claimed that it is only he who had the master card to deny Mr Museveni the legal 50+1 automatic victory required by EC. First, Mr Akena does not own the minds and souls of the people of Lango. He is lost in his father, Milton Obote’s, near-cult status he had during those many years he reigned as president of Uganda.
Mr Akena has failed to realise that the generation of his father is literally no more and that the new generation wants to make judgments using their own lenses.
They know better what President Museveni has done for Lango, and no wonder they have overwhelmingly voted NRM in the previous general elections and that there is nothing Mr Akena can do now to change the course of events. NRM got more than 70 percent in the 2021 General Election. Without a doubt, people in Lango will not fall for Mr Akena’s propaganda.
That is pure escapism on Mr Akena’s part, and no sensible Ugandan can believe him with such excuses. An apology to Ugandans, and more especially to his UPC party, is what is required of him, 1) for being insolent to his party constitution and 2) for causing his party such turmoil that made them fail to have a presidential candidate in the 2026 elections.
Probably, to further save his face from the embarrassment, he and his legal team have filed a legal challenge to the EC, hoping to be pronounced the legitimate party president and, therefore, be included on the ballot paper. How this can be done remains to be seen since the presidential ballot papers are already being printed, going by what is being reported. Mr Akena should just eat the humble pie and accept his fate. It is not an offence to make a mistake, but it becomes a punishable one when one insists on a mistake. We all make mistakes, but we must learn to own up and probably offer a legitimate apology. Akena, you can’t wriggle out of this.