It was dance and cheers in Kyankwanzi on Monday afternoon after @KagutaMuseveni graciously accepted the NRM Caucus resolution to front him for the 2021 presidential elections and beyond.
Everything seems to have flowed so easily given that, currently there was no known serious internal threat to Museveni’s candidature although reports indicate that the Workers MP, Dr Sam Lyomoki, recently declared that he intended to contest against Museveni for the NRM’s flag in 2021 elections but yesterday’s resolution sealed his fate and he definitely had to tuck in his tail.
After Museveni gave the resolution a good nod, Dr Lyomoki unlike others(bearing in mind that some may not have wanted to be openly seen as opposers and kept their disappointment to themselves) lashed out at the NRM caucus resolution describing it as a “nullity” because it contravenes the party constitution.
He insisted he will present himself to the party’s delegates conference which has the mandate to choose the flag bearer.
“The caucus does not have the power to decide on who will be the party flag bearer. This is a shame for President Museveni as a founder because he is leading the NRM to a constitutional crisis. The truth is that I am going to stand in the national conference but if they block me from attending, the 20 million members will know it was a manipulation,” Dr Lyomoki said .
It is important to note though that this is some what similar to what happened four years back, 2014, when sacked prime minister and former party secretary general Amama Mbabazi left the party and contested against Museveni in 2016 elections as an independent candidate, but lost.
Nonetheless, Hellen Grace Asamo, the MP for persons with disabilities for eastern region who moved the motion for Museveni’s sole candidature on Sunday, said Dr Lyomoki is free to contest for presidency but not through the NRM system.
“Lyomoki can still come. People have choices, and if he has got people to push him he can go forward,” she said.
Asamo went on to dismiss claims that she is targeting promotion( ministerial appointment) as such a motion has been seen as a way of catching the President’s eye for favor. This follows Evelyn Anite’s (currently State minister for Privatisation and Investment) Cabinet reward for a similar move.
In 2014, during a similar NRM caucus retreat at Kyankwanzi, the then Youth MP for Northern Uganda went on her knees while presenting a motion ‘begging’ Museveni to run as the party’s sole candidate. She was later appointed State minister for Youth and Children Affairs.
However, Asamo who did not kneel like Anite did said ; “It is not my aspiration, I am a staunch member of the party and I am already a chair of the Equal Opportunities Committee of Parliament. As a person with disability, the President has done a lot for us and we did not do anything for him to bring us out of maginalisation .”
According to sources at Kyankwanzi , about 10 MPs were fighting to make history by moving the motion to endorse Museveni’s sole candidature.
Some of them included; Usuk County MP Peter Ogwang, Luweero District Woman MP Lillian Nakate, Mbarara Municipality MP Michael Tusiime, Ajuri County MP Denis Hamson Obua and Dokolo North MP Paul Amoru.
