NRM denies plot to delay 2016 polls
President Museveni (2ndL) shakes hands with Simon Bereket (R), a founder member of Ethiopia Peoples Revolution Democratic Front as Ato Terefe Menegesha Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda (2ndR) shakes hands with First Lady Janet Museveni (L) in Kyankwanzi yesterday. PPU photo
What you need to know:
Dismissed. NRM party spokesperson says the Opposition is speculating.
Kampala. The ruling party yesterday distanced itself from a group of its MPs said to be plotting to delay the 2016 general elections and remove the presidential age limit from the Constitution.
“We don’t have the age limit on the agenda and we have no plan to push the 2016 polls to 2018,” said Ms Evelyn Anite, the NRM caucus spokesperson.
“There is no crisis in NRM. The President is just 70 and he is still within the confines of the Constitution. The Opposition is panicking that’s why they are speculating. But let them know the NRM chairman is neither over-aged nor below age,” she said.
The denials came after warnings were issued by Opposition politicians and civil society that Uganda could suffer a “violent transition”.
Party leaders and Electoral Commission officials also jumped to the defence of EC chairman Badru Kiggundu who was denounced for attending a ‘partisan’ meeting on Monday.
Ms Anite was unapologetic about Mr Kiggundu’s presence at the retreat. “This is not the first time we are inviting the EC chairman to Kyankwanzi. Because we are the party running the government, in our quest to streamline service delivery, we have always invited sector heads to brief us on the service delivery in the country,” she said.
“How come they are not making noise that the Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Keith Muhakanizi, came to Kyankwanzi to brief us about the performance of the economy? Mr Kiggundu was here as a member of the national steering committee on ID registration,” Ms Anite said.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Wafula Oguttu, had criticised the alleged plan to amend the Constitution by lifting age limits saying it could lead to “life presidency” and was a recipe for violent transition.
“By participating in the NRM caucus meeting, [Kiggundu] is proving to us that he is biased and cannot deliver a free and fair election,” said Mr Oguttu.
Mr Mathias Mpuuga (Indep) said: “It’s scandalous. What business does Mr Kiggundu discuss with a ruling clique as a would-be neutral person! He confirms the worry that he is a hostage and a willing Trojan horse for the powers that be and unable to midwife a democracy.”
