Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The National Unity Democratic Organisation’s (NUDO) Joseph Kauandenge said the party leadership will not hand over power through force but through a peaceful process to a legitimately elected person at a legitimate congress, as per the party constitution.
Kauandenge made these remarks on Sunday in response to a congress that another party faction had organised on Saturday.
He announced that the party’s current leadership, led by its president, Ester Muinjangue, converged at a meeting on Sunday morning to discuss, amongst other issues, the congress held in the name of Nudo by a small splinter group claiming legitimacy.
‘’Usually, our congress consists of 688 delegates, from across the country. What we have seen from pictures emanating from the so-called congress is that not more than 150 people attended that meeting. Some faces we don’t even know, and we can dispute as per our congress master list that they are not the real vetted delegates that should have attended the congress,” said Kauandenge.
According to the resolution of Nudo’s highest decision-making body, the national council, which adopted it on August 31, 2024, at its 6th meeting in Windhoek, the congress will only take place in May 2025 next year.
The same body empowered by the Constitution also reaffirmed that the current Nudo leadership under Muinjangue will lead the party until the congress is held.
‘’What is clear is that 80% of our real and authentic delegates to any congress emanating from branches have boycotted this so-called congress as they recognise the current leadership of the party, and they will only attend a congress that is called through the appropriate structures by the current leadership,’’ said Kauandenge.
He clarified that the party’s constitution establishes processes and systems that dictate how and by whom a congress should convene.
According to Kauandenge, NUDO’s constitution lacks a structure known as an interim committee, which possesses the authority to convene a congress.
‘’Nudo has functioning leadership under president Ester Muinjangue that can only be removed by another legitimate congress and nothing else. Be rest assured that we will do everything in our power, legally and otherwise, that this party leadership will not be taken through force of any kind but that we will hand power over freely to a properly constituted congress that is called in line with the provisions of our constitution,’’ urged Kauandenge.
The splinter group’s spokesperson, Rirua Komeheke, announced on social media that they had elected new NUDO leadership, with Barry Rukoro serving as its president.
According to him, the congress was never cancelled because the national executive committee was inferior compared to the national council that had convened the congress.
“We finalised the beginning of the congress. Somebody started it and did not finish it and we finished it. The interim committee did not call the congress. It continued with the congress that was called,” he said.
The initial congress was called in July.
Komeheke reported that 385 delegates and sufficient proxies attended the congress.
“We had enough money to cover the congress, which was self-funded, not the N$950 000, which was wasted on a congress that did not take place. Branches made their own contribution,” he said.
He declined to confirm who the new leaders are, which he said will be announced at a media conference on Monday.
