Museveni, Opposition leaders to meet

Kampala. President Museveni will meet with top leaders of Opposition political parties under the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) on December 12, this newspaper can reveal.
Mr Museveni will not attend the IPOD summit as the head of State, but as the national chairman of the ruling NRM.
At the meeting, Mr Museveni is expected to engage with Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi, Democratic Party (DP) president general Norbert Mao, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) leader Jimmy Akena and Justice Forum (Jeema) chief Asuman Basalirwa.
Founded in 2009, IPOD brings together all parties that have elected Members of Parliament.
Mr Museveni agreed to attend the summit while meeting with the members of the IPOD council at State House Entebbe on Saturday evening.
He was hosting the members on behalf of the NRM as part of their routine visit to member parties’ headquarters.
The NRM secretary general, Ms Justine Lumumba, said the meeting was shifted from the party’s secretariat on Plot 10, Kyadondo Road, in Kampala to Entebbe because the President was busy with official duties.

Declined
The FDC national vice chairperson, Ms Salaamu Musumba, who was set to attend the meeting at the NRM secretariat, abstained from the Entebbe meeting, saying she did not have permission from her party to go to State House.
The team that went to State House was led by UPC secretary general Fred Ebil, who doubles as the IPOD council chairperson.
DP and Jeema parties were represented by their secretary generals Gerald Siranda and Mr Eddie Fredrick, respectively.
Mr Frank Rusa, the IPOD executive secretary, in a statement after the meeting, said the President agreed to attend the IPOD meeting at a neutral venue after the members raised a concern about the “suitability” of State House for inter-party events.
“The President took note of the concerns raised about the suitability of State House as a venue for the IPOD event. He agreed to attend the IPOD conference and summit of leaders to take place on December 12, 2018,” the statement reads in part.
Mr Rusa told Daily Monitor yesterday that the venue has not yet been agreed on, pending consultations with principal members in other parties.
He, however, said they need a bigger venue because the conference will be attended by at least 250 people, with each of the five parties bringing 50 delegates from their rank and file.
However, FDC is yet to decide on whether to attend the conference and summit of leaders despite being told it will be in a neutral venue.
Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the FDC spokesperson, yesterday said the management meeting of the party will have to sit, look into the agenda of the summit before allowing Mr Amuriat to attend.
“The reason we may not attend is that as the FDC party, we do not regard Mr Museveni as the legitimately-elected President of Uganda. If that issue is part of what will be discussed in December, then FDC management will sit and take a decision,” Mr Ssemujju said.
But he added that FDC has no problem with the idea of IPOD summit because the meetings have been ongoing in Mr Museveni’s absence.
Mr Ebil warned that Mr Ssemujju should not decide for the entire FDC party, which has been key in the preparatory meetings for the upcoming conference and summit.
He said the demand for the summit has always been made by FDC secretary general, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi.
“The issues to discuss at the summit we agreed on them together with FDC and we are going to finalise the agenda during a retreat on November, 14 and 15 (this week). FDC has been key in planning for the summit. So let Mr Ssemujju not bring his own issues. We are not going to take Uganda for a ride,” Mr Ebil said.
He identified campaign financing, internal and external discipline in political parties, constitutional review and electoral violence [reconstitution] as items to be discussed at the upcoming summit.
After the summit, President Museveni is expected to address the conference jointly with FDC, DP, UPC and Jeema leaders.
Sources that attended the State House meeting told this newspaper that the Opposition representatives tasked Mr Museveni to explain why his government has been at the centre of engaging in electoral violence.
Mr Museveni reportedly said he was “equally disturbed” and committed to end the vice.