Africa-Press – Uganda. The Buyikwe South constituency representative and former secretary-general of the Democratic Party, Dr Michael Lulume Bayigga, has described the party as “directionless.”
Bayigga, who contested the position of president general in the recent Democratic Party National Delegates Conference held in Mbarara, made the statement shortly after his competitor, Norbert Mao, was declared the newly elected president general.
“Today, Mao says they want to sit down and find a new direction, which confirms that those who quit citing lack of direction were right. Yet, he will pretend the party had direction — it is directionless,” Bayigga said.
“That’s why we need to retrieve the party from this situation. However, Mao has thwarted this effort by rigging the election,” he added.
Bayigga raised concerns over irregularities in the voting process. “Can you imagine a delegates conference with a maximum of 1,316 members having 1,359 votes for the presidential candidate — an excess of 53 votes beyond the expected maximum?” he questioned.
He argued that this clearly indicated that many people voted multiple times, while some delegates did not even attend. “Mao and his supporters rigged this election — an absurdity of the worst kind for the Democratic Party in Uganda,” Bayigga said.
Speaking to the media shortly after his victory, Norbert Mao said, “Candidates presented contrasting visions of society, ranging from regime change, fundamentalism, to constructive engagement.”
“In this campaign, my battle conditions were perfect because I was surrounded. Wherever I fired, there was an enemy,” Mao added.
Mao claimed that delegates from across the country strongly supported him and believed he had the best vision for the party over the next five years.
“From Kisoro to Koboko, Kapchorwa to Kasese, the delegates have spoken loudly. Despite any reservations about my leadership, they feel that with me, the DP has a safe pair of hands,” he said.
“We pledge to continue working for national reforms and to heal the broken parts of our national construction. We pledge to keep working on national dialogue. Ugandans, let’s learn to talk to one another,” Mao added.
He suggested that even the challenges within the Democratic Party could be resolved through dialogue. “We will continue to be tolerant and hinge on what the Democratic Party truly represents for Uganda.”
Dr Lulume confirmed that his faction will seek legal redress and has already begun consultations. He said they expect to have a way forward within two weeks.
“We will consult and come back with a way forward in the next two weeks,” Bayigga said.
“This will depend on how we formulate our approach, whether we manage to get legal redress as quickly as possible, given the glaring mistakes and acts of impunity that have afflicted the party,” he added.
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