NUDO blames police for N$900 000 congress chaos

The National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) has blamed the Namibian Police for the fracas that played out at the party’s elective congress last weekend, a situation which led to the indaba eventually being called off due to conflict between party members at the venue.

The congress was called off after die-hard supporters of former Namibia Football Association (NFA) secretary-general Barry Rukoro stormed the venue, demanding for their candidate to be placed on the ballot. This despite Nudo’s leadership indicating that Rukoro does not qualify to contest for any position in the party.

Rukoro, who had earlier roped in his lawyers to unlock the impasse, however maintains the decision to lock him out of the race was illegal.

The party’s secretary-general Josef Kauandenge said: “The police in essence sabotaged us and I will blame this on Inspector-General [Joseph] Shikongo".

He added that the police did not keep to their promise to deploy enough manpower in order to avoid any hindrances at the Ramatex hall in the capital, where the convention was being held.

“We had a meeting with the safety and security minister and his top leadership in the ministry as well as Shikongo and his team, and they promised that about 12 police officers will be deployed to the congress venue. When the day arrived, there were only two police officers,” he lamented while appearing on Network TV's The Evening Review show last night.

Heavy police presence requested

The party, through Kauandenge, wrote to the Namibian Police on 19 June requesting police presence to protect the leadership and the more than 700 congress delegates.

“We have it on good authority that there are members within our party who want to come and cause chaos during the congress and we will not rule out the fact that physical assault might take place during congress,” Kaundenge wrote.

He added: “We thus request a heavy presence of the Namibian Police to be stationed there during the two days in order to provide protection to the leadership of the party until such a time that new leaders are elected”.

Shikongo responded to the party on 9 July, informing them that “the request for the presence of members of the Namibian Police at your congress on 13 and 14 July is hereby considered favourably”.

Kauandenge said the congress organising committee did everything in its power to ensure that the event takes place, despite limited funds and 'constant criticism' from some party members.

Shelled out N$900k

With the party’s constitution prescribing that there should be a 90-day notice period in which a congress can be called, Kauandenge said it is unlikely that another gathering will be called before the 27 November national elections.

He said the party forked out over N$900 000 on last week’s botched congress. “The timelines are not in our favour and funding will be a challenge as well. I do not see another congress being called before elections,” he quipped.

Asked who the party’s presidential candidate will be for the upcoming presidential polls, seeing that congress did not take place to elect a new party leader, Kauandenge retorted: “The party leadership will meet soon to decide the way forward. Remember, we still have the electoral college coming up where we can decide that”.

Former Okakarara councillor Vetaruhe Kandorozu, the party’s vice-president Peter Kazongominja and Windhoek’s deputy mayor Joseph Uapingene were expected to contest to succeed incumbent president Esther Muinjangue.