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Recently Gen Otafiire was in Lira City where he openly de-campaigned fellow minister Betty Amongi while branding her confused and unpopular. Otafiire asked Amongi to be grateful to be a minister in NRM government as opposed to fighting key NRM cadres in Lango region like Jane Aceng.
This attack was strengthened by Peter Ogwang, another minister who said Aceng was too good to be challenged by the social climber from UPC. Ogwang said there is a lot Aceng has done for Lira City in just 4 years when compared to the total misery and deprivation Amongi has caused in Oyam South for the 25 years she has been MP there.
Amongi at first kept quiet and only responded through her elderly bonkmate Jimmy Akena who tried and failed to intimidate minister Otafiire using the UPC press conference in Kampala. But even when she was quiet, Amongi was plotting mischief on how to politically humiliate Gen Otafiire.
She is planning a public event in Lira City this weekend. She will be using that gathering to relocate from Oyam to become a voter in Lira City. During the function, Amongi will be calling on people to embrace the voter registration update by the electoral commission and also staging kiwaani defectors from NRM who will be coached to attack Gen Otafiire.
Doubtful she will have a big crowd at her ceremony, the politically very frustrated Betty Amongi is employing unconventional strategies to create an impression that she is not as unpopular as Otafiire and Ogwang portrayed her.
Knowledgeable sources say that the UPC camp intends to have buses to ferry non-residents from various districts across Lango to the city for Amongi’s event. Two buses per district are reportedly set to be arranged to create the impression of a significant following from Lira City residents.
Ahead of their 1st February event, the UPC camp plans to print 2,000 yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “NRM Lira City supports Hon. Betty Amongi Akena.” The T-shirts are allegedly intended for distribution to UPC supporters, potentially aimed at misleading the public into believing that Amongi enjoys substantial support from NRM subscribers in Lira City.
The alleged tactics have sparked criticism and debate among Lira City residents, who view the move as a desperate attempt to salvage the Amongi political image after being bruised by the plain speech by Otafiire. Amongi, a long-time UPC stalwart, appears to be struggling to cement her influence in the City as rejection from key voter blocs continues to mount.
As Saturday approaches, all eyes will be on Lira City to see how the UPC First Lady makes her first public attempt at grabbing the Seat.
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