Africa-Press – Uganda. Gender, labour, and social development minister Frank Tumwebaze has warned NRM’s Koboko Municipality candidate, Dr Charles Ayume, to take his recent endorsement by National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi with a pinch of salt, saying it could be a sugar-coated pill intended to destroy Ayume and the NRM.
“It could be seen as an endorsement on the face of it, but when actually it is a calculated spoiling tactic of the opposition against Dr Charles Ayume and the NRM. It could be intended to cause rifts among the NRM supporters in Koboko,” he said. “NRM supporters should discern such tricks and reject them.”
Kyagulanyi made the endorsement while campaigning on Tuesday in Koboko.
“I am the president of NUP. I want to say this and I know many of you might disagree with me. But I know that here in Koboko, there is a young man called Charles Ayume and I know he is in NRM. I have not met him, but I want you to tell him that I have been watching him and I respect him. I want to ask you, people of Koboko, to vote for that young man,” Kyagulanyi said. “I know he might not say anything good about me, but I understand.”
Ayume is the son of former Speaker of Parliament, Francis Ayume. As well as serving as speaker, Ayume, who died in a car crash in 2004, also served as Attorney General.
Despite having entered politics only recently, Charles Ayume, 42, defeated investment minister Evelyn Anite in the NRM primaries to emerge as the flag bearer for the party.
Before joining politics, Ayume worked with the State House Health Monitoring Unit for over 15 years. He is running against Charles Yakani, an independent candidate.
