Dick Denis Owani is the Forum for Democratic Change-FDC party candidate for the Omoro county parliamentary by-election. The party leaders say Owani was endorsed following a consensus reached between him and another aspirant Terrence Odonga, on Sunday in Omoro town council.
The Chua West Member of Parliament Philip Okin Ojara and the FDC coordinator for Northern Uganda, Robert Onega led the negotiations. Justin Obita Odong, the Omoro district FDC chairperson told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Monday that the two negotiated before they gave Owani the flag to represent the party.
Odong says the process was fairly conducted, adding that Odonga didn’t complain about the party decision.
He says they are optimistic that Owani will secure victory for the party in the coming by-election. But Odonga told URN in an interview that he isn’t contented with the resolution, arguing that the process undertaken to endorse his rival was unfair.
Odonga alleges that prior to the meeting with his counterpart, the party leadership in Kampala had already resolved the matter. He says that he will contest as an independent candidate if the party rejects his appeal for the primary elections.
“If they have made up their mind on their flag bearer, I will go as an independent and crash their candidate. I know the man, I know his strength very well, the last time he contested, he only won in his home area,” he said.
Owani says that his focus is to revamp the agricultural sector in Omoro district from peasantry to commercial and mechanized agriculture. He says the district is already thriving in soya beans and sunflower farming but farmers still face challenges of pricing, which has affected their growth.
The National Resistance Movement-NRM party last week endorsed Oulanyah’s eldest son Andrew Ojok Oulanyah for the Omoro by-election. The Electoral Commission has commenced the display of voter registers and issuance of voter location slips at polling stations in Omoro county.
The exercise will end on May 4. Moses Kagona, the Omoro District Electoral Commission Registrar says that the exercise has kicked off smoothly at the polling stations they visited. He however says there is a slightly low turn up of people being the first day of the exercise.
The electoral commission has set May 26 as the date for the election in Omoro County, which was represented by the former Speaker of Parliament Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah who died on March 20 in the United States of America.
