By Tolit Ivan
Cultural chiefs loyal to Rwot David Onen Acana, the Paramount Chief of Acholi, have resolved not to be part of a meeting convened by rival chiefs intending to elect a new Paramount Chief of Acholi on June 14 in Kitgum district.
On Tuesday David Onen Acana II convened an urgent meeting of all chiefs within the Acholi sub-region at Ker Kwaro Acholi in Gulu city where they denounced the action of the rival faction to convene a meeting to elect a new Paramount Chief. The council of chiefs during their meeting that lasted almost 10 hours resolved to distance themselves from the planned election of the new paramount chief, accusing their counterparts of trying to destabilize the cultural institution.
Rwot David Onen Acana II told journalists after the meeting that the planned elections are illegal and Ker Kwaro Acholi will not be part of it.
Rwot Acana also accused the rival faction for forging the signatures of chiefs to draft a constitution that has been gazetted and submitted to the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB), showing at least 39 chiefs’ signatures.
Early this week Robert Adong-Akullo, the Interim Spokesperson for the rival faction, denied the allegations saying the chiefs genuinely signed the document.
Led by interim chairperson Richard Santo Apire, the rival faction parted ways with Acana’s leadership in June last year, citing allegations of financial mismanagement, failure to draft a constitution, and attempts to sell off properties belonging to the Acholi Cultural Institution.
