{UAH} SMART MOVE: Particulars on how M7 Zoomed Past the Opposition
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SMART MOVE: Particulars on how M7 Zoomed Past the Opposition' plot to Block Gen Aronda's Swearing in as Internal Affairs Minister through a Petition to the Constitution Court
President Museveni with Aronda after he was sworn in as Minister of Internal Affairs. Nandala Mafabi (bottom L) and Shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu(top L) had wanted to block the function
When Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga finally bowed to pressure okaying Gen Aronda Nyakairima' appointment as Internal Affairs Minister last week, the opposition had seen it coming and had a plan "B" up their sleeves.
Sensing that President Museveni would have his way, our sources confided in us, the opposition had indeed sat and instructed Shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu to file a Constitutional Petition along with an urgent application seeking to block Gen Aronda's swearing-in.
The main ground of the opposition Constitutional Petition would be Aronda's failure to seek retirement from the army, before he could be cleared as minister.
On filing the petition, the petitioners would argue that Aronda's appointment boarded on breaching the Constitution. As such, they would demand that Aronda' swearing-in be delayed until the constitutionality or lack of it, of his appointment had been settled.
Basing on the latest ruling where the Constitutional Court suspended the Anti-corruption court over constitutional ambiguity surrounding its formation, the petitioners believed they had a strong case to have Aronda's swearing-in stopped.
How NRM outsmarted opposition
While the opposition plotted against Gen Aronda, our impeccable sources told us, the NRM strategists passed the word to President Museveni.
To curtail the opposition moves, we learnt, the NRM strategists decided to buy time by engaging the opposition in time wasting debates in the parliamentary vetting committee, till late when the matter was put to a vote and the pro-Aronda MPs carried the day.
While the matter was under debate, the opposition had hoped they would win vide legal arguments, as it had been the case on several occasions before, and therefore "forgot" their Plan B.
"The opposition was therefore disarmed when the Speaker put the matter to the vote at the last hour when it was practically late to move to court on a Friday and petition for the stay of the swearing-in," our immaculate sources intimated.
Hoping against hope, the opposition decided to move to court the following Monday (July 22) before Aronda could be sworn, praying hard that Museveni would sleep or be busy with his on-going trips to areas where he fought his bush war. Still, Museveni strategists got wind of the plot.
They rushed to the President and advised him to bring the swearing-in forward. The President's strategists advised him to leave whatever he was doing and swear in Aronda before the weekend had passed lest Katuntu and group moved to court after the weekend and block the function.
"This is when the President hastily arranged to have Aronda sworn in on Saturday effectively beating the opposition at their own game," the President's handlers told.
Fate of Petition
Having said and done it all, Katuntu is still determined on dragging government and possibly Parliament to court over Aronda's clearance.
Problem is there are fewer justices at the Constitutional court, than required to hear the petition so the NRM may use that technical hitch to fail the petition.
But they are three judges, who can effectively handle Katuntu's application to block Aronda from performing his ministerial duties until his appointment is fully investigated by the Constitutional court.
Whether government will convince court to maintain the status quo (Aronda's appointment and swearing-in) until otherwise overturned by court, is a matter for conjecture for the time being.
This is because, if court holds in the meantime, his appointment breached the constitution, it will follow that his appointment would have to be stayed till the whole matter had been heard.
By exploiting the lack of quorum at the Constitutional Court currently, government (read NRM) would also find itself shooting itself in the foot. This is because the ruling party currently has an all important case where it seeks to expel stubborn MPs from Parliament which has also been objected to by the MPs on Constitutional court lack of quorum grounds.
NRM wants the MPs, Hajj Mohammed Nsereko Mutumba, Theodore Ssekikuubo and Wilfred Nuwagaba expelled for taking positions contrary to the party official line.
Parliamentary Speaker Kadaga refused to expel them from Parliament as NRM requested, prompting NRM to resort to the Constitution
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