Okello dragged Lira City West division council, Jimmy Angole, the Division Town clerk, and Mayor Michael Ogwal Aconga to court seeking judicial review and orders blocking his impeachment arguing that the move was in bad faith, constituted by ulterior and other political motives, all intended to victimize him.
High Court sitting in Lira has issued an interim injunction
restraining Lira City West Division Councilors from censuring their speaker, Daniel
Okello. Last month, the councilors petitioned the Ministry
of Local Government indicating their plans to censure Okello for alleged
misconduct, disrespect, and intimidation.
Okello dragged Lira City West division council,
Jimmy Angole, the Division Town clerk, and Mayor Michael Ogwal Aconga to court
seeking judicial review and orders blocking his impeachment arguing that the move was in bad faith, constituted by ulterior and other political motives, all
intended to victimize him.
The application came up for hearing on Tuesday evening
before Justice Duncan Gaswaga in the presence of counsel Hope
Lydia Abeja, Moses Okot Bitek junior, and Raymond Ongom for the applicant while Innocent Okuny represented the respondents.
Justice Gaswaga then issued an interim order restraining the
respondents, their agents, servants, and assignees from implementing the
resolution that was reached to have Okello censured pending the determination
of his application for judicial review.
Earlier, Innocent Okuny, the defense counsel asked the court to
adjourn the case on grounds that they were served on short notice and were
unable to respond to the matter. Moses Okot B’itek also the Kioga County Member of
Parliament has urged the respondents to abide by the court decision.
Lira City returning officer, Rashid
Hasakye has given Jimmy Angole, the City West Division Town Clerk two days to
write to him explaining their next course of action in line with their plans to
censure the speaker. This followed the dismissal of the meeting that he convened on Tuesday to discuss the censors of the speaker. Both th speaker and Samuel Akaa, the lead petitioner didnt show up for the meeting, in which
they were expected to respond to issues justifying their actions.
“I’m not adjourning the meeting, okay? But I’m dismissing
this on condition that if the lead petitioner is to organize himself I will
take note of the date then I plan within that same time given (30 days) to see
which date is convenient and that day must be convenient to you as well," he said.
Hasakye asked the town clerk who was represented by Sam
Okello to write to him before Friday confirming that both Okello and Akaa have
been invited to another meeting.