KAMPALA – Opposition Justice Forum (JEEMA) has announced that it will not front a national presidential candidate will instead form a coalition with National Unity platform party (NUP).
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, JEEMA President also Bugiri Constituency MP Asuman Basalirwa said that this time round they are not in position to front National presidential candidate because they did not conduct grass root processes as it is required by the party.
“Due to the adverse effects of covid -19 pandemic that has affected our social ways of life , which it turn affected our political activities, we decided to rally our support behind the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) also Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi.a.k.a Bobi wine.
Mr Basalirwa revealed that the party has finalised processes on the contents of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NUP. “We are working on an MoU because Mr Kyagulanyi now belongs to a political party. We now have to engage with NUP as an institution that has a candidates like us,”.
“Our consensus to back Mr Kyagulanyi came before he formed a political party way back when he undertook the decision to contest for presidency. As a party we developed consensus to support him,” he said.
He added that they also intend to handle the issue of harmonizing candidates at various levels in the MOU because it is not only limited to the presidential level, it encompasses other candidates at various levels.
“We have been supporting several candidates in the presidential races, in 2011 was Dr Kizza Besigye who was contesting on Forum for Democratic Change ticket and in 2016 under TDA we supported the former Prime minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi but now we have agreed on NUP,” he added.
Five years or leadership
Mr Basalirwa revealed that five years ago they were given responsibility to lead Jeema and they were glad to inform that the responsibility they entrusted to them has been executed.
“We undertook to make certain visible achievements which include managing Jemma as parliamentary party and to increase the party’s representation in parliament which we have done,” he said.
Mr Basalirwa also revealed that his leadership increased their visibility in local government and maintained JEEMA as party which practices smart politics, with dignity and integrity and promised to keep that legacy.
“Anybody who believe in amicable settlement of disputes has no place in JEEMA and is free to leave, people are in politics for self-enrichment. I therefore appealed to the party members to continue practicing the various values of the party,” he said.
JEEMA National Chairman Haji Muhammed Mayanja said that National Executive committee also recommended that the tenure of all elective positions elected in and or appointed by the NDC be given another lease of life for a period not exceeding a period of two and a half years.
“We expect to have a fully functional National Delegate conference in a period of two years from now so that our structures participate in grassroots process and we expect to have new leadership after those processes ,”he said.
Mr Mayanja also revealed that they had recommended that JEEMA should lead an initiative within the alliance with NUP to ensure that all opposition and democracy seeking forces and entities that have played a role in championing the course for democratising Uganda are accommodated and brought on board in the alliance,” he said .
