Nudo candidates in registration fiasco

WINDHOEK – The air was rife with tension at the Nudo office in Katutura on Friday when it emerged that four members of the party failed to register as candidates for the Regional Councils election because they did not turn up in time.

National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) Politburo Member, Veronica Vihanga, was more than 30 minutes late and was not allowed to register as a candidate for the Windhoek East constituency. Priska Kahuure, who was to stand in the Windhoek West constituency, failed to meet the 11h00 deadline by at least 15 minutes.Kamberiuo Katjimune of the Windhoek Rural constituency and Veripi Tjipura of Katutura East were also late.At least two of the four party candidates who missed the boat burst into the relocated Nudo office in Katutura at around 12h00 on Friday, and confronted a party administrator, Benestus Kandundu, blaming him for their failure to register.Vihanga told Nampa that Kandundu had probably been under the “wrong impression” that the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) might relax the deadline and allow people to register even if they were not on time.But party officials maintained that they would not take the blame for the fiasco.They said the candidates had had all the time they needed to go to the registration point before the deadline.”How do you explain that someone arrives late to register while her or she had the whole week to make sure that they would arrive at the registration point on time?” one official told some of the party members who had turned out in droves to inquire why the four leaders failed to register.It is also believed that Nudo candidates at Berseba, Gibeon and Mariental arrived too late to register.- NampaPriska Kahuure, who was to stand in the Windhoek West constituency, failed to meet the 11h00 deadline by at least 15 minutes.Kamberiuo Katjimune of the Windhoek Rural constituency and Veripi Tjipura of Katutura East were also late.At least two of the four party candidates who missed the boat burst into the relocated Nudo office in Katutura at around 12h00 on Friday, and confronted a party administrator, Benestus Kandundu, blaming him for their failure to register.Vihanga told Nampa that Kandundu had probably been under the “wrong impression” that the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) might relax the deadline and allow people to register even if they were not on time.But party officials maintained that they would not take the blame for the fiasco.They said the candidates had had all the time they needed to go to the registration point before the deadline.”How do you explain that someone arrives late to register while her or she had the whole week to make sure that they would arrive at the registration point on time?” one official told some of the party members who had turned out in droves to inquire why the four leaders failed to register.It is also believed that Nudo candidates at Berseba, Gibeon and Mariental arrived too late to register.- Nampa