Uganda’s biggest opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), has withdrawn its candidate in the Bukimbiri parliamentary by-election in Kisoro District five days to voting day and instead thrown their weight behind the FDC candidate, James Owebeyi.
In a statement issued on Friday, August 5, NUP said the move is now part of their agreement with other opposition parties to unite for change.
This comes a day after Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 said the party had thrown its weight behind NUP candidate Joseph Okoboi Opolot who is vying to become the Gogonyo County Member of Parliament.
“On 2nd August, 2022, NUP nominated comrade Mutabazi Joshua to carry its flag in the by-election. However, following our renewed effort to work alongside all forces of change, we have taken a decision to withdraw our candidate from this election. Instead, we shall be supporting and backing the FDC candidate Hon. Owebeyi James,” NUP said.
“As you all know, the NUP backed the FDC candidate Hon. Attan Moses in the concluded Soroti by-election. Likewise, FDC has recently withdrawn its candidate in the Gogonyo Constituency by-election in Pallisa District and opted to support the NUP candidate Hon. Okoboi Joseph,” they added.
NUP said these steps give promise for greater co-operation in “our effort to rid our nation of the military dictatorship.”
“We appreciate comrade Mutabazi Joshua for his maturity appreciation of the urgent need for the forces of change to work together at this critical time,” they said.
This follows a decision of the Court of Appeal on June 6, 2022 that threw out Gogonyo County Member of Parliament Derrick Orone over election malpractice following a petition by Issa Taligola.
Following the controversial loss in the Soroti East parliamentary by-election two weeks ago, leading Opposition leaders Kizza Besigye and Robert ‘Bobi Wine’ Kyagulanyi last week said they will join forces as they explore new ways of regime change.
The leaders of the main opposition parties refused to rule out boycotting future elections.
“Friends let us unite,” Bobi Wine said, “in a real sense of unity and this message doesn’t only go to leaders at presidential or MP levels but at all levels. You notice friends that we have made it easy for Museveni by fighting each other, we have changed our targets from the enemy to each other and it’s unfortunate that even those that work closely with us are not making it easy for us to come together.”
