Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Unity Platform-NUP has dismissed claims that its presidential flag bearer Robert Kyagulanyi might support Elias Lukwago to retain the Lord Mayor position in the forthcoming general elections.
“Baseless!” roared NUP spokesman Joel Senyonyi when asked to clarify on the strong rumour that his party leader reached an agreement with FDC’s Dr KIzza Besigye to support Lukwago for the job. “Although all NUP leaders hold Dr Besigye in very high regard and with great respect, our party has a constitution which defines the process of candidate selection at all levels.”
Reports have in the past days surfaced in the public domain indicating that the National Unity Platform-NUP and its president/presidential flag bearer Robert Kyagulanyi wish to support a lord mayor candidate from another political party, that is to say the incumbent FDC/ People’s government vice president Erias Lukwago, at the cost of its party requirement to choose a flag bearer from the two party members who expressed interest in the position.
Ssenyonyi says, .
On the matter of a possible alliance between NUP and other opposition parties, Ssenyonyi says they hope it will come to pass but on condition that all the involved parties including NUP have to groom and front candidates on all elective posts so that the negotiations to choose the strongest can commence.
The puzzle
All the same, Kyagulanyi’s multiple characters or personalities that come with different titles for the same man are beginning to pose a challenge when it comes to his taking a stand. Each of these identities has got different close associates, friends and relatives who believe it’s their right to claim his loyalty to them against their opponents (in the 2021 elections).
The same person is claimed by those from the Office of Ghetto President, while others claim him as Fire Base- Boss, yet to others, he is the Kyadondo East MP. He is also Bobi Wine of the Music Brand; he is the principal and co-founder of the People Power Movement, (which is more like its spiritual leader); president and presidential flag bearer of the National Unity platform-NUP and lastly, he is Kyagulanyi of the Ssentamu family.
Some of Kyagulanyi’s associates from the old days of Ghetto presidency wish to be supported in their current aspirations to positions of leadership, and many of these are clashing with his allies from the FireBase company who were also inspired by their Boss to join politics.
Others from his Kyadondo East by-election history are facing off with his allies from the people power movement-creation history, and the puzzle goes on and on.
On this topic, Ssenyonyi re-affirms that the answer to such puzzles is only one. The party constitution which clearly states how a candidate is reached without looking at what their relationship, history or background is with the party president or any other leader in the party.
He added that not even Kyagulanyi could use his personal influence in the party to declare himself as presidential flag bearer without going through the right process as required by the party processes.
The Lord Mayoral race
In the Kampala Lord Mayoral race is Kyagulanyi’s longtime friend and fellow Musician Joseph Mayanja alias Chameleon who had wished to claim support of Bobi Wine the Brand, support of the People power movement principal’s office and support of the NUP party to which he subscribes as a member.
In the same race, is his elder and veteran politician former Mayor of Kampala Haj. Nasser Ntege Ssebaggala who also hopes to have the backing of his young Friend Kyagulanyi the MP, but also wishes to have the NUP flag/ ticket for lord mayorship, having accepted to join the party as a registered member.
All these are up against Bobi Wine’s, MP Kyagulanyi’s friend and People Power’s longtime lawyer the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. Although Lukwago is neither a people power subscriber nor a NUP member, his relationship with Besigye, Membership to FDC and Incumbent position forms a public opinion that he is a stronger option than both Ssebaggala and Chameleon.
Lukwago’s commitment to Kyagulanyi came out clearly when he made bulldozed into Makindye military police barracks where Kyagulanyi was detained after the Arua incident in which he driver Yassin Kawuma was shot dead while sitting in his boss’ place. Lukwago was the first non-military person to access the badly injured MP following his beating, and the lord mayor’s Law partner Medard Ssegona continued representing Bobi Wine through his legal battles with the sate.
Ssenyonyi said that before reaching the level of forming an alliance with FDC to back its candidate, the party has to choose between the two candidates aspiring for its flag. He further revealed that the party constitution does not provide for an option of holding party primaries, but presents three ways in which a candidate selection process can be conducted.
One is Consensus building aimed as peacefully resolving the matter through negotiations between the candidates, under the guidance of the Election Management Committee- EMC.
Should consensus fail, the EMC holds meetings involving locals and party elders at every level where the candidates are vying to become flag bearers, they examine each candidate’s commitment to the party and its cause, royalty to NUP, interpersonal skills, notability, how the public gauges them, the person who scores highest gets the flag.
If the other aspirants feel disenchanted with the process, the constitution provides for an appeal process to the Executive Board which is comprised of several top party leaders and the EMC itself. In Ssenyonyi’s view, neither the party president Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine nor any other party member is above the constitution.
We tried to talk to Lukwago and Chameleon about their feeling and views on this matter, but due to their tight schedules, all our interview appointments with them yielded no good results.
Haj. Nasser Ntege Ssebaggala, dismissed the issue of being stuck with selecting a candidate to back, saying that since Lukwago didn’t choose to join NUP and opted for FDC, he shouldn’t be part of the conversation for a NUP candidate in the race.
He also downplayed Chameleon for lacking the required experience to hold and run an office of Lord Mayor.
We asked Ssebaggala about what the public views as his tainted image of hypocrisy and instability when it comes to him having frequently changed parties and sides for what is viewed as greed and lack of integrity.
He says; like Museveni, Betty Nambooze, Besigye, he is a politician who has always made the decision to move on to another camp or create his own at a given time, basing on the prevailing reasons and factors on Uganda’s political landscape.
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