Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Unity Platform (NUP) Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, has condemned what he described as “deliberate efforts” by state and Electoral Commission officials to frustrate the nomination of the party’s parliamentary candidates across the country.
Addressing a post-nomination press conference at the party headquarters in Kamwokya, Rubongoya said the challenges faced by NUP aspirants during the just-concluded nomination exercise were part of a wider pattern of political interference aimed at weakening the opposition.
“It’s the third time this is happening. The same things occurred during nominations for the youth elections and local government elections — and here we are again,” Rubongoya said.
According to the NUP Secretary General, several party candidates were “illegally blocked” from being nominated, with some reportedly denied access to nomination venues.
He cited Ruhinda North Constituency as one of the areas where Electoral Commission officials allegedly tampered with National Identification Numbers (NINs) on candidate endorsement forms rendering some signatures invalid and disqualifying otherwise eligible candidates.
“We want to condemn this in the strongest manner possible,” he emphasized, adding that such acts would not deter the opposition from participating in next year’s presidential elections.
“This gives us more courage to participate in the presidential elections. The only way we can change this is by removing President Museveni.”
Rubongoya revealed that NUP had endorsed 425 members to contest for parliamentary seats, but not all were able to complete the nomination process.
Some, he said, were unable to raise the required nomination fees, while others were allegedly intimidated or bribed to withdraw from the race.
“Some of our candidates, especially in northern Uganda, told us they had been forced to leave the race after being promised money. Others were made to take photos with President Museveni to show that they had crossed to the NRM,” Rubongoya claimed.
He further criticized aspirants who accepted financial inducements or switched allegiance despite the party’s financial and logistical support.
“Some of these individuals had their nomination fees paid by the party, only to abandon the flag. This shows that they don’t understand the party’s principles,” Rubongoya said.
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