LIRA | The grounds of Lango Cultural Centre were transformed into a chaotic scene on Sunday as a meeting called by the President’s office descended into disorder, forcing police officers to spend the afternoon hours restoring calm.
During the fracas, a former Uganda envoy to the US, Ambassador Dickson Ogwang Okul, was seen drawing a pistol on a section of leaders who had turned rowdy against him.
The gathering, initially intended to be a constructive discussion among cultural leaders, MPs, and Resident District Commissioners, devolved into tension and uproar, exposing rifts within the Lango traditional leadership.
Tensions peaked as voices were raised, and what started as whispered disagreements quickly escalated into a scene of chaos.
Several attendees challenged Ogwang’s presence at the meeting, questioning his alignment with the values and traditions of the Lango community.
The objections, growing louder and more heated, left a section of cultural leaders visibly furious and charging towards Ogwang.
Minutes later, Amb Ogwang was seen leaving his seat, advancing towards the podium as the furious cultural leaders continued charging towards him while asking the police to have Ogwang disarmed.
But, drama ensued as police tried to disarm Ogwang, who had drawn his pistol facing the rowdy leaders.
It is at this point that chaos escalated as rowdy leaders were seen throwing punches at Ogwang, as the police struggled to remove his pistol. Ogwang was eventually disarmed and dragged out of the venue by the anti-riot police.
George Abdul, the dean of Resident District Commissioners, said the meeting was meant for cultural leaders not directly involved in the recent leadership wrangle.
“We avoided causing conflicts by inviting those who were elected and in line with what the court came up with,” he said.
“So, to avoid that kind of confusion, we avoided inviting anybody who would call himself Wonyachi. Now, in this case, when Ogwang Okul came, the Owitong says we have not invited anybody who is claiming to be the Wonyachi of Lango.”
Ogwang had recently participated in an election for the position of Lango Paramount Chief, only to have an election nullified by Lira High Court.
His election followed widespread dissatisfaction with the election of Eng Michael Moses Odongo Okune, the former executive director of Uganda Road Fund, as Lango’s Paramount Chief.
Judith Alyek, the Lango Parliamentary Group Chairperson, said they never expected that any of those who participated in the recent elections appeared at the same meeting, following the court ruling.
The Lango Community, as in recent years, witnessed a series of leadership disputes often centred around the struggle for key leadership positions.
