Buikwe MP Lulume joins Besigye’s PFF after ditching DP

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Buikwe South Member of Parliament, Dr Phillip Bayigga Lulume, has defected to the People's Front for Freedom (PFF) after abandoning the Democratic Party (DP) ticket he had held since 2007, a move that is likely to leave Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao fuming.

Lulume’s decision to join the PFF comes amid growing discontent within the DP over leadership and direction. His defection is being seen as a major blow to the DP, which has been struggling to regain relevance in Uganda’s political landscape.

The former DP deputy secretary general made the decision last week during a consultation meeting with voters in his constituency. This followed a disputed delegates' conference election that saw Mao elected for a fourth term as the DP party president general.

“I’m excited to join the PFF, which shares my vision for a better Uganda,” Lulume said after picking nomination forms at Plot 6 Katonga Road offices in Nakasero, Kampala, on Monday, July 7.

“As long as Mao remained the DP party president general following the disputed Asamar Country Hotel delegates’ conference in Mbarara, I had no option but to ditch the DP ticket for PFF,” he added.

“My supporters have resolved that I come on a PFF ticket and fight with other forces of change who seek to cause a trusted transition of power from gun rule to civilian rule,” he insisted.

Lulume’s defection follows the 2025 exodus of key DP MPs who left the party to join the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), led by Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi.

Buikwe South MP Dr. Phillip Bayigga Lulume with Kampala Lord Mayor and interim PFF president Erias Lukwago.

These include Nakaseke South County MP Paulson Luttamaguzi Ssemakula, Kyotera County MP John Paul Mpalanyi Lukwago, and Kyotera Woman MP Fortunate Rose Nantongo.

The move comes shortly after DP secretary general Gerald Siranda announced party ticket waivers for six MPs, including the controversial Lulume and Bukoto Central MP Richard Sebamala, who was disqualified from contesting against Mao.

“The DP leadership, including Mao, were elected unlawfully. Our High Court case outlines the unjust process, right from the start to the chaos in Mbarara during the national delegates' conference. Our case is in court,” Sebamala said on Friday last week.

A group of DP leaders, led by Julius Ddumba, in May 2025 petitioned the Electoral Commission to suspend the delegates' conference conducted on May 30, 2025, but the EC’s decision is still awaited.

Lulume, who contested and lost the DP presidency, quit the party following disagreements with Mao and others at the Balintuma Road office, accusing them of manipulating the results to secure Mao’s fourth term, which ends in 2030.

Having served as acting DP secretary general from 2007 to 2010, Lulume was later defeated by Siranda and lost his final bid for the presidency last month in Mbarara.

Lukwago welcomes Lulume

Kampala Lord Mayor and interim PFF president Erias Lukwago welcomed Lulume, saying his decision was long overdue for those “persecuted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s dictatorial government” while serving in opposition-like formations under the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

“I am happy for Lulume. Thank you for coming to the meaningful change team. We started with our patriarch leader, Dr Col (rtd) Kiiza Besigye, fighting dictatorship, but many took us for a joke. We are soon reaching there,” Lukwago said.

The PFF has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, and Lulume’s defection may help strengthen the party as a viable alternative to the ruling NRM, which has held power under President Museveni since 1986.

Lulume’s switch to PFF highlights the DP’s ongoing struggle to retain its members and remain relevant. Internal conflicts and leadership wrangles have opened opportunities for rival parties like the PFF to attract disillusioned members.