The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling NRM party has endorsed a proposal to have the party front its National Chairman and President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to continue leading the party and seek re-election as presidential candidate in the 2021 general elections. Sources at the CEC retreat that ended yesterday, at Chobe […]
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling NRM party has endorsed a proposal to have the party front its National Chairman and President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to continue leading the party and seek re-election as presidential candidate in the 2021 general elections.
Sources at the CEC retreat that ended yesterday, at Chobe Safari Lodge in Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya district, said the resolution was moved by Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa.
Rogers Mulindwa, the Senior Information Manager NRM, confirmed the decision to have Museveni once again run as a sole presidential candidate for the party.
We sought the opinion of some MPS, including MP Kabuula county, James Kakooza, and MP Barnabus Tinkasiimire. Whereas Kakooza is in support of the decision, Tinkasiimire said “CEC has acted outside the party constitution at this stage to endorse Museveni as the flag-bearer for 2021.”
He said CEC is a “party organ that is supposed to receive and vet all applications from interested candidates. This undermines the core value of NRM party of internal democracy.”
“I want to condemn this show of ‘cliquesim’ on the side of the CEC and excessive greed for power on Mr Museveni who will have ruled us for 35 years aged 81 years in 2021.”
Tinkasiimire also said the ruling party is in “panic on the side of Museveni seeing People Power becoming more popular countrywide.”
In 2014, A similar move was hatched by NRM MPS led by state minister for investment, Evelyne Anite after former Prime minister and the then party secretary general John Patrick Amama Mbabazi made known his intetions to stand for highest office.
Constitutionally, President Museveni is eligible to stand again after parliament amended article 102(b) of the constitution that removed the upper and lower presidential age limits.
