National Unity Platform (NUP) party officials have described as “crooks” a section of members that claimed to have organised a delegates’ conference and elected new leaders of the party. 

According to a statement issued by the party, no delegates’ conference has been held in the recent past, and whoever claims to have been elected to any top position of the party is part of what party officials have described as a “diversionary” ploy. 

“The National Unity Platform has noted several social media posts containing messages from crooks claiming to hold different positions within the party. The party and its leadership urges its members and supporters to ignore them, and treat with contempt all diversionary attempts,” NUP party officials said in a statement. 

The party was responding to claims by a section of members that a new party president, secretary general and spokesperson, among others, were replaced by new members during a recent delegates' conference. 

However, NUP officials said, the party has not held a delegates conference to change its leadership. 

“For clarity, there has been no delegates’ conference of the party in recent past. According to our constitution, a delegates’ conference sits at least once every five years to elect leaders, and once elected, those leaders hold office for five years. There is no need whatsoever for any of our members to be worried about any new schemes by any crooks regarding the leadership of the party,” NUP officials said in their statement. 

This is not the first time that members are battling for NUP leadership.

The NUP leadership under Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine first came into limelight when two founders of NUP, Difas Basile and Hassan Twala petitioned court noting that NUP’s founding president, Moses Nkonge Kibalama, illegally changed the party’s name and transferred the leadership to Kyagulanyi without their consent. 

On several occasions, Nkonge himself has kept on shifting goal posts on the party leadership, noting on one hand that he is still the party leader and on the other hand acknowledging Kyagulanyi as rightful leader of the party. 

For instance, in September last year, Nkonge withdrew all complaints against Kyagulanyi’s leadership, noting that NUP was rightly transferred to the Kyagulanyi group. 

However, over the weekend, Nkonge’s group re-ignited the debate over NUP ownership, with some members claiming to have been elected as new leaders of the party. 

Recently as he addressed the party’s women wing, Kyagulanyi warned party members and also cautioned them that party had been infiltrated by spies.