Africa-Press – Uganda. A fresh wave of internal conflict has erupted within the National Unity Platform (NUP) in Buikwe District, with growing tensions between registered card-holding members and those who claim they were denied flags for refusing to pay bribes.
The dissenting faction, composed of aspiring political leaders allegedly denied NUP party cards, has formed a pressure group to rally grassroots support and challenge what they call a culture of corruption and favoritism within the party’s local leadership.
The group convened in Lugazi Town, openly condemning what they described as a betrayal of the party’s founding principles of transparency, accountability, and people-centered leadership.
Fred Gasaaka, a former aspirant for the Buikwe District chairperson seat, claimed that Ms. Faridah Nabatanzi, a prominent NUP mobilizer, demanded Shillings 50 million from him in exchange for the party ticket.
“We are being asked to buy our way into leadership,” Gasaaka said. “This is not the party we joined under the vision of Hon. Kyagulanyi. The card has become a commodity sold to the highest bidder.”
Gasaaka warned that if such practices persist, elected leaders would be accountable not to the people, but to those who facilitated their nominations.
Atanansi Semambo, a former mayoral aspirant in Njeru Municipality, echoed similar concerns, accusing Nabatanzi of blocking his candidacy through illegal means and calling on the NUP National Executive Committee to investigate.
“If the leadership fails to hold her accountable, we will be left with no choice but to support alternative candidates in the upcoming elections,” Semambo warned.
Another aggrieved aspirant, Stephen Mugoya, claimed he was initially issued a party card to contest for Lugazi Central Division chairperson, only for the card to be revoked and reissued to a candidate allegedly favored by Nabatanzi.
The pressure group has vowed to mobilize voters directly, insisting they will remain loyal to the ideological path of NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, despite what they term internal sabotage.
In response, Faridah Nabatanzi and her allies dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated, accusing the rival group of attempting to tarnish the party’s image ahead of the 2026 elections.
“These individuals are spreading lies to cover their own failures,” a source close to Nabatanzi said. “They want to bypass party procedures by inciting the public against legitimate leaders.”
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