Lukwago elected president general of DP splinter group
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago (left) and former presidential aspirant Samuel Walter Lubega (C) greet DP lawyer Edward Muguluma as another DP member looks on yesterday at Bativa hotel in Kampala. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
KAMPALA- Wild celebrations yesterday filled the Bativa Hotel conference room in Kampala as embattled Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was elected the president of a splinter Democratic Party group.
During a meeting yesterday aimed at crafting a roadmap that will see the DP faction achieve victory in the 2016 presidential elections, Lukwago also accused the current DP leadership under Norbert Mao of failure to introduce constitutional policies arguing that this could end up pushing the party to the dust bin of history.
The meeting, attended by party councillors and legislators, including Latif Ssebagala, Richard Sebuliba-Mutumba, and Mathias Mpuuga, declared that the delegates’ conference which had been slated for July 24 has been cancelled due to undemocratic acts of the current party leadership.
Amidst cheers from the party members, Mr Lukwago called upon DP members to espouse the ideals of equality and justice on which DP was founded and said that this could be realised by the concerted efforts of the members and therefore revive the past glory of the party.
According to Mr Lukwago, DP needs transparent leaders who won’t divide the party members but bring every one into the struggle to fight for the rights of Ugandans.
“We should sacrifice ourselves towards achieving a noble objective other than making mere contributions. We need a reconciled, vibrant and rebranded DP In order to emancipate the troubled Ugandans. We can’t therefore tolerate members who don’t respect the constitution,” Mr Lukwago said.
However, DP president Norbert Mao dismissed the allegations, saying as party leader, he has tried to bring reconciliation between warring factions within the party in vain. He said that DP shouldn’t be confined to only one tribe as the break-away faction thinks because this would mean that they are serving tribal interests than national interests.
“Infact, I have tried to organise the elections and that’s why there is competition. The delegates conference is the solution to our problems as a party. Why are they dodging the conference?... We want to liberate the country but this can’t be realistic if we are divided. If they are taking that route, they are totally misled,” Mr Mao told Daily Monitor yesterday.
Fighting Museveni
At yesterday’s meeting, Mr Lukwago also said he was ready to fight for the rights of the common man and that President Museveni is already tired and defeated.
“President Museveni’s 30 years in power have left many Ugandans suffering. Hard questions call for hard answers. We must therefore face the tough questions and wake up now. We must direct our efforts towards transformation. Museveni has diverted people and this is a battle that we must win. Mao and other party members ought to join us and see how we can outmuscle this dictatorial regime...,” Mr Lukwago told the democrats.
