By Our Staff Writer – 30^th Aug 2010

Uganda People’s Congress [UPC] party President Dr. Olara Otunnu has today announced that his party has pulled out of the opposition IPC alliance.

“We regret we shall not continue to work under IPC project but we shall continue to champion growth of democracy in Uganda through a National Social Movement”, Dr. Otunnu said.

To say we both reject and accept the Museveni/Kiggundu Electoral Commission and the fraudulent voters’ registry is a retreat from and a complete contradiction of the position we unanimously adopted, Dr. Otunnu emphasised.

Otunnu made the declaration at a UPC press conference held at Christ the King Church in Kampala.  He said they had now formed a new pressure group called the “National Social Movement” to bring together democracy seeking political parties, civil society, religious organisations, the business community, workers, pressure groups, the youth, and women organisations.

He attacked the IPC for wavering on its priority to have an independent Electoral Commission and a clean voters’ register before next year’s general elections.  He said the new National Social Movement will be a citizen struggle.

“We will insist on genuine free and fair elections, truth-telling, and accountability…and we shall come with our bear hands and over power the machine of terror. We must now begin to chart a new path leading to a new Uganda, with a new national compact”, Otunnu said.

He said UPC was not advocating boycott or no elections.  Their intention, he said, was to “…demand and insist that the elections that must take place in 2011 must be free and fair”.  If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent.  Never miss out again.