Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, an affiliate of the FDC party, said the just-concluded Parliamentary Speakership elections show that the opposition is not united.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party affiliate, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has said the just-concluded Parliamentary Speakership elections were proof that the opposition is not united.
Ssemujju issued the claims after finishing third in the elections. He managed only 15 votes behind NRM’s Jacob Oulanyah who won the elections with 310 votes and independent Rebecca Kadaga who got 197 votes.
Ssemujju who was responding to a question of his take on the election outcomes expressed his disappointment to how the opposition parties chose their candidates.
He in particular cited the National Unity Platform (NUP) party. On this, Ssemujju disclosed that he wrote to all members affiliated with the party asking them to side with the opposition but they still insisted on voting Kadaga who already had numbers.
“I wrote to everyone at NUP, I even wrote to the NUP President Kyagulanyi and asked to meet him at his convenience but he did not. Instead, he convened a meeting of NUP members on Sunday and told them to vote Kadaga.”
“In Kamuli, Kyagulanyi had a candidate for NUP we also had a candidate but he asked people to vote Kadaga. I didn’t have to assemble a meeting for the opposition to vote opposition,” Ssemujju said expressing his disappointment towards the opposition for siding with Kadaga.
“They went for Kadaga who had numbers, even when she was nominated, they were the ones who were bragging. How do you go for the NRM third chairperson? You even cry when she loses,” he said.
He, however, told the opposition that this is a time for self-reflection. Ssemujju indicated that politics is a game of different interests but reminded the opposition that only unity can help overthrow the dictatorship government.
“Even after Museveni has gone, to change the culture it will take courage. It will take a lot of effort to change course. To fight dictatorship we are not fighting to get into power like America but to free the country,” Ssemujju told the opposition.
“The competition will be there and will start when the dictatorship ends. We are all victims of dictatorship. The man who beats the church, beats civil society, journalists,” he added.
