Africa-Press – Uganda. The Iteso cultural union cabinet has stepped down to allow the interim Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot and his team to operate independently and avoid causing rifts among the Ateker community.
This comes after Mr Emolot and his faction held a meeting at the institution’s premises in Soroti Town during which he was declared interim Emorimor last Wednesday.
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He also appointed a cabinet, picking three members from the old one, who have since rejected the offer.
The trio are Mr Ivan Engoru, institution’s attorney general, Mr Peter Etyang, the deputy prime minister, and Mr George Opule, the finance minister.
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In a March 4 statement signed by the cultural institution’s prime minister, Mr Augustine Omare Okurut, the old cabinet maintains that the cultural union does not have a legitimate council after the initial one was suspended by the late Emorimor Augustine Osuban Lemukol on July 14 last year over election irregularities.
Mr Okurut also said the council could not take any valid decision since some of the attendees were handpicked associates of Mr Emolot.
Grounds
“The outcome of that illegal meeting is that the chairperson of council, Mr Emolot was installed as interim Emorimor, and following a motion, all cabinet members were relieved of their duty and a new team was constituted in which three members are alleged to have been retained,” Mr Okurut said.
“Decorum demanded that we should have been invited and given the opportunity to defend ourselves as our national laws provide. We were condemned unheard, we leave that for history to judge,” he added.
Mr Okurut said in the run-up to the Wednesday meeting, Mr Emolot was invited for harmonisation talks to devise a mechanism for the succession but he never showed up.
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“Cabinet stands here not to apportion blame, we are not keen at display of might or to suggest that we are the sole embodiment of wisdom, we are not ready for legal contest, we shall stay clear of controversies, we reject any blackmail on us singly or collectively,” the outgoing cultural institution prime minister said.
“We are, therefore, informing you, the Iteso people, the government and all our partners and collaborators that we have opted for the path that will leave the Iteso people united,” Mr Okurut said, adding that they stepped down after consultations.
He had been appointed the interim cultural head of the institution after the death of the paramount chief .
Mr Emolot is expected to hold the interim position for six months, after which the election of the substantive cultural leader will be conducted.
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