Two Nudo warring factions, one led by the party’s last democratically elected leadership now under acting secretary general Joseph Uapingene and another led by former football administrator Barry Rukoro, have smoked the peace pipe.
The National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) has for the past almost two years been a house in serious disarray, as the battle for the heart and soul of one of the country’s oldest political movements reached unprecedented levels of internal and structural backbiting.
An optimistic Uapingene yesterday told this publication that the latest decision to hold hands and move together was in the best interest of the party and is an equally mature decision to look beyond petty individual politics and interests.
“We sat together and decided that it was time to put the best interest of our beloved party at the heart of whatever we are doing. By now, we all agree that the party did not perform as expected last year, and even for those that went and campaigned on the other side [with Swanu], the outcome was also not desirable. So, at this point and going forward, we will all work for the best interest of Nudo and make sure that the party returns to its glory days. On the question of trust between the two groups, trust will be built over time and through our collective commitment to the party,” said Uapingene.
The party’s popularity has significantly declined, and the ongoing inner bickering between the two factions further weakened the party during last year’s National Assembly elections, which saw Nudo perform dismally in its traditional strongholds of Aminuis, Otjinene, Okakarara and Omatako constituencies.
During last year’s elections, Rukoro shocked all and sundry and dealt Nudo a huge blow when he formed a coalition with Swanu and ran as being number two on Swanu’s list of potential parliamentarians, with that party’s president Evilastus Kaaronda being number one on the list.
R-Factor
Leading up to those elections, the two parties had been embroiled in a nasty legal battle over the party’s presidency, with the then-Utjiua Muinjangue-led leadership seeking the court to restrain Rukoro and his faction from claiming to be de facto party leaders and to prevent them from disseminating correspondence on fake party letterheads.
They had also asked the court to grant them an order to eject Rukoro’s faction from the party’s rental premises situated in the heart of Katutura along Clemence Kapuuo Street and for them to immediately stop interfering with the operations of the party.
Rukoro’s splinter group were also accused of breaching the party’s constitution in that they had created disruption and disunity within Nudo’s rank and file.
On the other hand, Rukoro and his faction refused to budge, as they defended the legitimacy of his ascendancy to the party’s top position. At the time, Rukoro and the group had vowed to defend his presidency in court if challenged to.
In the latest twist of events, the former foes resolved to smoke the peace pipe by agreeing to form a joint committee that will organise a legitimate elective congress and also agreed that the party’s democratically elected leadership under Uapingene will remain in charge until the next planned congress.
Nudo is without a substantive president and secretary general, following the resignation of Muinjangue and Joseph Kauandenge from their positions as president and secretary general a few months ago.
As part of their push for unity, the two parties further agreed that Rukoro will denounce his Swanu membership and retain his Nudo membership with all his rights and privileges fully reserved, while it was also agreed that the party will pay for the legal costs of the two factions.
Declining fortunes
In the national elections, Nudo has generally over the years been a perennial average performer, as in 2004 the party won 4.1% of popular votes and three out of 78 seats under its late president Kuaima Riruako, who ran as Nudo’s presidential candidate in the concurrent presidential elections and only managed to garner 4.23% of the national vote.
The 2009 National Assembly elections saw Nudo dropping to two seats after it won only 3.01% of the total votes. After Riruako’s death in 2014, veteran politician Asser Mbai took over as party president ahead of the 2014 National Assembly elections, which saw them retain their two seats.
The 2019 National Assembly elections equally saw Nudo secure two seats under President Muinjangue, but the party suffered a massive blow in last year’s National Assembly elections, as it only secured one seat from 0.98% of the total votes.
The party’s dwindling popularity has been blamed on the ongoing internal squabbles and lack of a clear political pathway and vision amongst Nudo’s supporters. –ohembapu@nepc.com.na