Museveni secures deal with rebel MPs
What you need to know:
Agreement. The estranged MPs, described by their colleagues within the ruling party as “prodigal sons”, reportedly agreed in principle to return to the NRM
PARLIAMENT.
President Museveni is reported to have clinched a political deal with the four MPs, which will see them return to the ruling party from which they were kicked out two years ago.
Emerging details from a closed-door State House meeting attended by the four MPs and their lawyers on Wednesday suggest that the outspoken politicians, described by their colleagues within the ruling party as “prodigal sons”, agreed in principle to return to the NRM.
They, however, left it to the President, who is also the party chairman, to work out the modalities of their return after “sorting out the technical details”.
Mr Museveni, who chairs the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee, in April 2013 presided over the expulsion of Mr Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Mr Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East), Mr Muhammad Nsereko (Kampala Central) and Mr Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga East) on grounds of “indiscipline” resulting from differences in opinion.
Mr Vincent Kyamadidi, the Rwampara MP, was handed a three-months suspension at the same event.
This expulsion, which was championed by former NRM secretary general, Mr Amama Mbabazi, exposed the simmering conflict within the ruling party whose leadership has grown more intolerant of critical voices within the ranks. Their unrelenting line on what the four consider is the government’s two-faced approach to the fight against corruption appeared to have touched a particularly raw nerve.
Before Wednesday’s meeting, the President met NRM lawyers whom he said advised him that the four MPs should withdraw an appeal they have filed in the Supreme Court, contesting their expulsion and write requesting to be allowed to return to NRM party. However, lawyers representing the MPs rejected this proposal and insisted that the case could not be withdrawn because it had reached “a point of no return”.
Daily Monitor understands that the MPs’ lawyers rejected this request. They also informed the President that the rules of court do not allow a case awaiting judgement to be withdrawn. The two sides agreed to meet again on July 7.
Mr Ssekikubo yesterday told journalists at Parliament that they made the first contact and that the meeting was cordial. Mr Ssekikubo also said they rejected the proposal to re-apply to join the NRM because they never left NRM. He also said they informed the President that they want the issues that led to their expulsion explained in the next meeting.
“We welcome the proposal from the President to re-join the party. We, however, indicated to him that we still stand by the issues that we raised before our expulsion in 2013,” Mr Ssekikubo said.
“On the notion that we withdraw our appeal, we said it’s impossible because once we do that Justice Kavuma’s (Constitutional Court) judgement will take hold and we shall lose our seats. We raised pertinent issues about service delivery and the succession in the party. We would like to get the explanation whether these issues have been addressed.
But the meeting established the first contact and the legal teams are supposed to thrash out the technical details and once that is done we shall see the way forward,” he added.
Opposition leaders such as Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwango have, however, previously warned the MPs against returning to the ruling party, saying: “The writing is evidently on the wall that NRM is Museveni’s personal enterprise and it’s fast crumbling. Those young brilliant brains that have unflinchingly resisted the monolithic tendencies cannot have a future in NRM. They should instead find a new vehicle that will deliver them to The Democratic Alliance.”
“I would strongly advise my brothers to stand their ground and remain firm on the principles they espouse, otherwise it would amount to a betrayal to the generational cause in the event that they capitulate to President Museveni’s political manoeuvres and/or machinations,” Mr Lukwago added.
The vice chairperson of the NRM Parliamentary Caucus, Mr Peter Ogwang, yesterday welcomed the four MPs to NRM and asked colleagues to accept “the prodigal sons back with open hands”.
“The NRM chairman is a visionary leader; a peacemaker who would like to see the party united. We are glad to have our colleagues back because as leaders we would like to see this issue resolved once and for all.”
On May 1, 2013, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga ruled that the four expelled NRM rebel MPs cannot lose their seats. In delivering her verdict, responding to a letter in which then party secretary general Mbabazi was demanding that she declares the MPs’ seats vacant, Ms Kadaga said the 1995 Constitution does not provide for how to deal with the expulsion of MPs. The NRM party later went to court demanding that the MPs leave Parliament. The case awaits final decision in the Supreme Court.
