Gen Muntu unopposed as ANT flag bearer
Maj Gen Gregory Mugisha Muntu has emerged unopposed as presidential flag bearer for the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party in the 2021 General Election after no rival showed interest in the post at the close of picking nomination forms on Monday.
ANT electoral commission chairperson Dan Mugarura said by 2pm yesterday when the five-day process of picking nomination forms for the party’s presidential flag bearer ended, only Gen Muntu was on the list. Mr Mugarura said Muntu will be unveiled at the party’s delegates conference.
“We have closed the process and that means he is alone in the race. He will still go through the necessary steps and on August 6, he will be passed by the delegates to represent the party as presidential flag bearer,” Mr Mugarura told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview.
He said they are embarking on verifying the documents and going through other necessary vetting of the aspirant.
In an interview with this newspaper a fortnight ago, Gen Muntu said despite the search for a flag bearer, the party would not close doors to the possibility of coming into a coalition with other change-seeking forces to get a joint candidate for the Opposition to remove President Museveni from power.
On Friday, news spread of Gen Muntu’s decision to relinquish power as the national coordinator of ANT, a party he formed a year ago. The office was temporarily taken over by the party’s leader of administration and finance, Ms Alice Alaso.
Yesterday, Ms Alaso said other party members could have shied away from contesting for presidency due to the prohibitive nomination fees of Shs3m as announced by the national Electoral Commission.
“One has to be very serious to pick those nomination forms because the fee is not something that you can joke with. But we shall have to wait up to the delegates conference where he will be acclaimed by the leaders,” she said.
Ms Alaso said the party still requires Gen Muntu to go around the country reassuring people of his capability.
Gen Muntu last evening told this newspaper that he will be nominated on Wednesday after getting all the EC requirements.
