The independents Members of parliament  who attended the NRM retreat in Kyakwanzi recently today locked themselves in a secret meeting trying to weigh the merits and demerits of the case against them by the complainants so as they defend themselves .

This meeting came after the petitioner led by Mustafa Ssemugenyi , Patrick Kinyera  and Aruu member of parliament Samuel odonga otto dragging  18 independent mps who attended the NRM  retreat to the constitutional  court   for  participating in the NRM retreat in Kyankwanzi that was held between 16th to 23rd October 2011, and NRM caucus meeting at state house Entebbe on October 24th.

The case opened up by Aruu county Member of parliament Odongo Otto and group is seeking the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga to expel them from parliament for defecting to NRM party yet they came to parliament as independent mps.

Their closed meeting was chaired by their chairperson who is also the Member of Parliament for kibanda county Sam Otada at parliament.

Otada however, blamed the independent members of parliament for attending the NRM party retreat without consulting him and the speaker of parliament.

These mps in their in door meeting agreed to hire  lawyers to defend them against this case on ground that by  attending a function where they were  invited does not tantamount to crossing to another party.

Meanwhile some NRM Mps who include  the member of Parliament for Buyaga county Barnabas Tinkasimire supports the group which sued the independent mps.

Independent Mawokota south county Member of Parliament Kiyingi Bbosa who is one of the MPS who attended the retreat said that they attended the retreat on invitation without any invitation to cross as alleged.

The constitutional court on February 1, 2010 ordered over 70 members of parliament in the 8^th parliament to vacate their seats for shifting their political allegiance without vacating their seats.

By Isaac Senabulya