{UAH} Mbabazi youths in Museveni U-turn

Mbabazi youths in Museveni U-turn

News

WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY 2014 00:25

WRITTEN BY EDRIS KIGGUNDU

6 COMMENTS

The divided NRM Youth League, which on Monday suspended three of its pro-Museveni members, made a dramatic U-turn on Tuesday. The Youth League chairman, Dennis Namara, read a statement in which he lifted the suspensions and also pledged to support Museveni's sole candidacy in the 2016 elections.

"We have all decided to unite for the goodness of the party. From today the youth league is going to move as one," Namara said yesterday.

The reinstated youth leaders include Moses Kiwanuka (vice chairman, Eastern), Ibrahim Kitatta (Lwengo) and David Kabanda (Sembabule).These youths had been key in calling for a youth delegates' conference on May 15, which was later called off.

Reading a statement during a hastily-called press conference at State House Entebbe, Namara, a presidential advisor who was known to be close to Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, said that all pro-Mbabazi youths had pledged during their 11am to 5pm meeting with President Museveni to support the incumbent's sole candidacy in 2016.

Namara said they were also apologetic for their rather aggressive opposition to the February Kyankwanzi resolution that tapped Museveni as NRM's sole candidate. At the State House press conference, Namara was flanked by all the youth leaders; Willy Omodo-Omodo (Northern), Adam Buyinza Luzindana (Kampala), Kiwanuka and Kitatta, among others. In a separate interview with The Observer, Luzindana said they had apologized to Museveni under duress.

Privately, he said, they will continue to mobilise for Mbabazi. He said he had asked Museveni to ensure an orderly succession. He said President Museveni was rather intimidating in the meeting and expressed anger at their activities.

Youth MPs, Peter Ogwang (Eastern), Evelyn Anite (Northern) and Patrick Nakabale (Central) attended the meeting. It was also announced yesterday that the youth delegates' conference had been pushed to July 25.

On Monday, two of the   hirtheto suspended leaders hit back, saying they would not be cowed. They said their suspension had been politically motivated because they opposed a presumed presidential run for Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.

"We will not be intimidated, cowed and blackmailed into supporting Mbabazi; our soul is with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni…," Ibrahim Kitatta, the NRM youth chairman for Lwengo, wrote on his Facebook wall.

Announcing their suspension, Namara had accused the trio of illegally trying to convene a youth delegates' conference on May 15 at Namboole.

Confusion

"Some people are masquerading as party youth leaders purporting to call an NRM youth league delegates' conference…I have not called for a youth delegates' conference," Namara said.

The suspensions and now the dramatic U-turn add to the confusion within the NRM Youth League that has persisted over the last couple of months. 
It all stemmed from the February Kyankwanzi resolution.

A group of youths led by Luzindana opposed the resolution and instead declared that they would support Mbabazi in 2016. Luzindana's group was challenged by the pro-Museveni youths led by Kitatta and Sewava Mukasa, who said the Kyankwanzi resolution was binding on all NRM youths.

The pro-Mbabazi group thereafter embarked on a country-wide mobilization of signatures from party delegates to force a delegates' conference to challenge the Kyankwanzi resolution.

Their activities were, however, nipped in the bud when police arrested their leaders (Luzindana and Omodo-Omodo), accusing them of bribing delegates to sign the petition. 
They were later arraigned before the Anti-Corruption court on charges of abuse of office and briefly remanded at Luzira prison until their release after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), dropped the charges.

___________________________________

Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

--
UAH forum is devoted to matters of interest to Ugandans. Individuals are responsible for whatever they post on this forum.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com or Abbey Semuwemba at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.