Is sole candidate good for NRM democracy?

Kampala. President Museveni will be his National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential flag bearer in 2021 following the resolution of the party MPs at Kyankwanzi retreat this week.

This was an endorsement of last month’s recommendation of the party Central Executive Committee.
Mr Museveni has been an ardent advocate of sole candidature in his party where he has been the only beneficiary.

In 2016, there was a scare that the then prime minister and secretary general of the party, Mr Amama Mbabazi, was harbouring intention to challenge him for the NRM flag bearer in the presidential elections.
During the party retreat in Kyankwanzi, the NRM caucus endorsed Mr Museveni, the party’s sole candidate, to preempt Mr Mbabazi’s candidature.

On Sunday this week, history repeated itself as more than 300 NRM MPs endorsed a motion by Ms Hellen Grace Asamo, the MP representing persons with disability in eastern region.
The NRM vice chairman for eastern region, Capt Mike Mukula, yesterday said the Kyankwanzi resolution is not final because other party structures have to endorse it if Mr Museveni is to run as a sole candidate.

“The party is sending proposals. We still have NEC (National Executive Committee), the National Conference, which has more than 20,000 people, district conferences and sub-county conferences will also discuss it. So this does not stop anybody from showing up,” Capt Mukula said.

Asked why then the CEC and NRM parliamentary caucus would endorse Mr Museveni without first subjecting him to internal competition, Capt Mukula said the party is giving a vote of confidence in the President because he has been fighting insurgents.

“People think that President Museveni is a dictator because he has been in power for 33 years. That is not true; we have been fighting to pacify Uganda because there have been rebel activities since 1987. Recently, he has been fighting the al-Shabaab terrorists. He has gained experience which Africa has been missing for many years,” Mr Mukula said.
One of the NRM founding members, Capt Francis Babu, described the talk about sole candidature as propaganda because the public has “misinterpreted” both the party CEC and caucus resolutions.

Mr Babu said although in 2014 NRM caucus passed a resolution for Mr Museveni’s sole candidature, there were other members who expressed interest in leading the party but later stood down for him at the National Conference at Namboole Stadium in 2015.

“The resolution by the MPs and CEC was that they are going to support him but it does not mean he is a sole candidate. Sole candidate is your creation as the media. This is not final because at the end of the day, we expect a debate at NEC level where the MPs are members,” Mr Babu said.
However, Dr Sam Lyomoki, the Workers MP who previously expressed interest to challenge Mr Museveni for the party’s candidate, insisted yesterday that he will stand against the incumbent.
Dr Lyomoki said he will not be deterred by the Kyankwanzi resolution because it is illegal.

“Unless they amend the party constitution, the Kyankwanzi resolution remains null and void. I will not relent and I continue with my plan to contest as party chairman and flag bearer. I will go for the National Conference and present myself as a candidate,” he said.
Buyaga West MP Barnabas Tinkasiimire, one of the MPs who was not invited to the retreat said the fact that members with dissenting views can be isolated, means internal democracy in NRM is only applicable at the lower positions of the party but not at national level positions.

“We are waiting for February (2020) when the candidates are supposed to show up. But we have already put CEC on notice that we have some members who want to contest for the presidential flag bearer. That one is inevitable and we are ready to push on but if we are blocked, we will rally behind other forces of change,” Mr Tinkasiimire said.
He said his Lwemiyaga counterpart Theodore Ssekikubo, who also was not invited to the retreat, is weighing up his options to run for the party’s flag in the 2021 presidential elections.

Article 35 (5) of the NRM constitution stipulates the function of the party parliamentary caucus as; “to consider and adopt a common position on any parliamentary business before the matter is tabled for debate in the House.”
Article 39 (2) a) of the party Constitution provides that a presidential candidate shall be elected by the National Conference.

It is not clear whether these two provisions will also be amended to give the NRM parliamentary caucus all powers to elect the presidential flag bearers.
Sources at Kyankwanzi said the caucus was set to endorse the proposed amendment of the NRM constitution to provide for voters to line-up behind candidates in party primaries.
“This was presented by SG Lumumba yesterday (Sunday) and majority of the members supported it. We are likely going to make a resolution this evening (Monday),” a source said.
Related story on page 6.

Previous ‘competitors’

Other candidates who never made it to party ballot are:
Felix Okot Ogong, Dokolo South MP. He showed interest in challenging Mr Museveni ahead of the 2006 presidential elections. At that time, Mr Ogong argued that Mr Museveni should not offer himself for presidency for the good of the party and the nation and should leave “when people still love him.” The MP would later withdraw his aspirations.

Capt Daudi Ruhinda Maguru: In 2010,he expressed his desire to contest against Mr Museveni for the party’s flag in the 2011 elections. His bid was stifled by the party hierarchy and later, he filed a case in the High Court in 2014 seeking an order to set aside the endorsement of Mr Museveni. Led by then Local Government Minister Adolf Mwesige, the party legal team engaged Capt Maguru for amicable settlement of the case. Maguru agreed to a compensation in order to withdraw his petition. However, in December 2014, he tried to block the delegates conference, saying the consent he entered with the NRM was violated. The High Court dismissed the case.

Amama Mbabazi: Previously known as President Museveni’s right hand man, Mr Mbabazi moved to contest for the party’s presidential flag ahead of the December 2014 Delegates Conference. Mr Mbabazi, a longtime ally of President Museveni, had held several government positions, including the prime minister post. However, Mbabazi’s declaration did not go well with many NRM bigwigs. Mr Mbabazi was sacked the same year. The position of secretary general was also ring-fenced with an amendment of the party constitution to have the office bearer appointed by the national chairman.

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