KAMPALA — A day after founder of National Unity Platform (NUP) Moses Kibalama went missing, a video has surfaced, showing that he wants to retake the party from presidential hopeful Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi on Thursday said that Kibalama’s home was raided on Wednesday night by a combined force of police and UPDF personnel under unclear reasons. He was later whisked away to an unknown destination where he is currently under custody.
But a video later emerged on social media showing Kibalama declaring that he wants to reclaim his party leadership, accusing Bobi Wine of not fulfilling promises he made to him, including paying him money.
He added that in August 14 last year, the party leadership sat and resolved to change the name from National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP) to NUP as they prepared to hand it over to Bobi Wine. He said this was to enable the party have a national appeal.
He discloses that they allowed giving out their party after Bobi Wine promised them a lucrative package.
Kibalama revealed that even before two former party members sued Kyagulanyi over change of party name, he had already decided to reclaim his party, saying Bobi Wine had broken promises to him.
“Bobi Wine promised us a lot of things that included cash worth $5m from his funders who I don’t know,” Kibalama says in the video.
He said Bobi Wine had promised to help licence his different enterprises should they take power from President Museveni but this has not happened.
Kibalama said Bobi Wine also promised him and 41 other party members bigger positions in the party but nothing has been achieved.
“We thought these people would expedite the paying of $5m but this has not happened,” he added.
When contacted, Ssenyonyi dismissed Kibalama’s claims, saying the latter is being forced to make the statement under duress by State machinery.
He also said at the moment, he cannot fully understand whether the video is of Kibalama since the latter’s home is currently surrounded by security agents.
Ssenyonyi explained that NUP has documents confirming their ownership of the party and any change of stance by Kibalama does not stand. He said the courts of law have already proved that NUP is a legally established party.
