The animosity brewing between NRM Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba and the party Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr Tanga Odoi appears to be too far from being settled.
The frictional relationship between the two leaders further demonstrated itself on Sunday during the NRM victory party organized for the 317 legislators who voted in support of the amendment to repeal the Presidential age limit from the constitution last year.
When Lumumba arrived at Saza grounds in Kiboga district where the celebrations are being held, she was received with a deafening applause from the party members.
Several NRM delegates stood up in a show of respect to the party Secretary General while others exchanged hand shakes and warm hugs with her.
However, the reaction to Lumumba’s arrival was different with Dr Tanga Odoi. He chose to remain seated and refused to greet Lumumba.
This gesture prompted some of the party officials with whom Tanga shared a table to ask him to extend compliments towards his foe.
But the former Makerere University academic, still seated, stuck to his guns and defied the efforts to have him hug Lumumba.
The rift between the two stems from the decision earlier this week by the NRM Secretariat headed by Lumumba to have over 400 NRM employees laid off in a mass restructuring process. Lumumba said that the party was increasingly failing to pay the accumulating salary arrears, some of which were inherited from the previous party leadership.
However, Tanga blamed the human resource crisis squarely on the Secretary General (Lumumba) whom he faulted for exhibiting poor administrative skills. According to Tanga, the failure to pay the staffers is attributed to Lumumba’s inexperience and the fact that she has presided over a Secretariat filled with ghost workers.
“Lumumba may be a good mobilizer, she is a good dancer, but a poor administrator. She did not go to high institutions like me. She was a district education officer then a parliamentarian. I pity her,” Tanga said.
The two have since exchanged words in the press, attracting criticism toward Tanga from some of the NRM cadres. They say that he is creating division within the party.