NUP losers seek re-evaluation

POLITICS   2021 ELECTIONS

A group of aspirants who failed to secure National Unity Platform (NUP) flags for various Member of Parliament seats have petitioned the NUP Electoral Commission (EC) and Executive committee to carry out re-evaluation in eight constituencies.

The group led by Samuel Walter Mukaaku who was vying for the Lubaga South Parliamentary seat addressed the media in Lubaga, a Kampala suburb.

The group includes Emmanuel Sempala Kigozi  (Makindye-Ssabagabo municipality MP), Micheal Mabikke, among others.

They said the NUP vetting process was marred with corruption, bribery, ambiguity, and the party infiltrated by National Resistance Movement agents (NRM).

"NUP has to carry out re-evaluation within 48 hours or let them not blame us for what may come after," Mukaaku said.

The group said that the EC committee should carry out re-evaluation in Makindye West, East and Makindye Ssabagabo, Lubaga south and North, Kasanda South, Kawempe North, and South.

"We were convinced that bribery and corruption would be resisted when the party was started, to our surprise, the top echelon of the party is issuing party tickets to the highest bidders irrespective of the general interest of the struggle for change," Mukaaku said.

We have written to the NUP electoral commission to avail us and the general public with the scores of the candidates that were vetted.

He added that the results have to be accounted for because NUP is a public institution and the voters will need to know how their candidates performed.

Mukaaku accused NUP of predetermining the results of some candidates even before the vetting process.

NUP spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi said it's not automatic that a candidate who petitions the party EC will be put into consideration. "Mukaaku and his group are free to put in their petition but it upon the party executive to decide," he said.

He added that the allegations regarding bribery in the party have been circulated on social media but they have never got any evidence.

 "If you have any please just send it to us," Ssenyonyi said.

Am ready to take on Ssebagala- Ssegirinya

Latif Ssebagala the Kawempe North MP early this week announced he will contest for the Kawempe parliamentary seat again as an independent. Last month, he stepped down from the mayoral after he had secured the NUP flag.

He said that after making several consultations from his constituency, they advised him to come back because he is the only fit candidate for Kawempe North.

"I could not just sit and watch while my people yearned for me to go back and represent them," he said.

Ssebagala added that he is willing to continue to serve Robert Kyagulanyi the NUP president and NUP agenda.

He further said that many people had started calling him a political monger who has been changing from one post to another.

"Changing from one post to another is normal. Am now stationed in Kawempe," he said.

However, Muhammad Ssegirinya said he isn't scared of Latif coming back into the race.

"It's now a fair a race that Latif is back, all other people were inferior to me," he said.

Ssenyonyi said, NUP chose Ssegirinya as its candidate and he is the one the party is going to support.

We don't care whether Ssebagala has come back as an independent. Since he has decided to run as an independent, he now ceases to be a NUP member, Ssenyonyi said.