June 20, 1979: A Former Ugandan Attorney-General, Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, takes over as President of the country following the surprise resignation of Dr. Yusuf Lule and his entire Cabinet. Dr. Lule steps following a marathon meeting of the Uganda Consultative Council which started on Tuesday at State House, Entebbe. Ugandans were caught by surprise by a radio announcement in which Dr. Lule and his Cabinet said: “We now hand over to our colleagues to carry out this task, and in this we wish them success. ” The statement said in part: “Gentlemen, you will recall that. I was elected to the Consultative Council by the Moshi Conference on March 26. “The Primary and most important task of the Executive Committee was to co-ordinate the efforts of all Ugandans in winning the war against Amin. “I am happy that this task has been successfully completed and the rule of law established in our motherland, ” Dr. Lule said in the statement attributed to him. He continued: “We had been charged with the responsibilities of rehabilitating and reconstructing our country. In addition, we were to prepare this country for democratic elections within a period of two years. “Preparations for this task are , now under way. But this has only just started,” he said. Dr. Lule had made a shake-up of his 18-man Cabinet, enlarging it by six new Ministries on Tuesday before the meeting started: The Consultative Council, made up of 30 members, had insisted on meeting the President because the members felt that they were entitled, under the adopted constitution, to ratify all Cabinet appointments made by the President.

Photo|Nation Syndication