Former Aruu county Member of Parliament Samuel Odonga Otto has claimed that chances of Norbert Mao the Democratic Party (DP) president general who also doubles as the Laroo-Pece legislator winning the 12th speaker of parliament are as slim as Jennifer Nakangubi alias Full Figure wining a Miss Uganda beauty contest.
“The chances of Mao winning the speakership race are as slim as Full Figure becoming Miss Uganda. The way the elections and Parliament are programmed, Mao has no chance of winning,” Otto said.
He made the statement days after Mao who is also the outgoing Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister wrote to president Museveni in his capacity as the national chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) asking for his political support.
Mao based his prayer on the political corporation agreement that his party signed with NRM which commands the huge majority of legislators in parliament pleading with the President to allow him to addresses NRM MPs before the entire parliament convenes on Monday to elect their new speaker and deputy speaker.
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NRM legislators who hve interest to contest for both speaker and deputy speaker offices filed their application with the party’s electoral commission body after the party’s top organ the Central Executive Committee (CEC) directed for a fresh process after the incumbent speaker Annet Anita Among withdrew from the race.
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) endorsed Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth as its flag bearer for Speaker of the 12th Parliament and Thomas Tayebwa as the party’s candidate for Deputy Speaker.
This announcement was made during the ongoing NRM parliamentary caucus meeting at State House Entebbe, where members of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) met with newly elected NRM legislators to harmonize positions ahead of the formal election of parliamentary leaders.
CEC first recommended Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa for the two positions before the parliamentary caucus unanimously adopted the resolutions.
Otto added that the National Unity Platform (NUP) decision to front Paul Mwiru to contest for the position of the speaker of parliament is also going to cost Mao because a number of opposition legislators are going to vote for Mwiru.
He claimed that the script which is going to be followed on electing speaker and deputy speaker is already designed and the president is going to camp at Kololo independence grounds where the sitting is going to be hold from morning to evening to scare NRM legislators to vote for NRM endorsed candidates.
Otto said that Chief Justice Dr Flavian Zeija is going to be the presiding officer of the first sitting of parliament.
Just like Fred Mukasa Mbidde the DP national vice president claimed that Mao is not going to get more than 10 votes, Otto also supported him noting that if allowed to be nominated, Mao will not put up the fight as he is trying to portray before the public.
Otto also blasted NRM for allowing the incumbent deputy speaker Tayebwa to contest again when Among was forced out of the race.
He claims that like Among, Tayebwa is also a dirty politician who has been benefiting from the alleged corruption where his boss has been the architect.
“Tayebwa should come out and explain how he survived the helicopter accident in 2024. I have evidence that he has been using taxpayers’ money to hire those helicopters to enjoy life with friends in western Uganda,” Otto said.
He cited tribalism as a factor that saved Tayebwa claiming that a clandestine move has been designed to make Ankole the second tribe with a big population after Buganda so that people don’t question when they dominate public service.
Mwiru also used Tayebwa’s staying in the race to mobilize legislators from Eastern Uganda where Among comes from to vote for him as an act of revenge on NRM.
“On Monday, members of parliament should stand their ground and make sure they are not intimidated. There will be no cameras inside the ballot boxes to report to President Museveni who one has voted for. It is the time to clean the public image of parliament from being known as a house for corruption and sealing fraudulent deals,” Mwiru said.
