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NUP responds to members challenge on ‘illegal’ change of party constitution
Robert Kyagulanyi says the petition is one of the many maneuvers by the ruling NRM to use all means to stay in power
Robert Kyagulanyi’s leadership of the National Unity Platform (NUP) has been challenged before the Electoral Commission, by a group of people who call themselves founding members of the National Unity and Reconciliation Development Party (NURP).
But Kyagulanyi’s NUP says that the challenge by the disgruntled members is just the latest of the many veiled attempts by the NRM government to stifle its runaway march and momentum that has seen it achieve unprecedented membership registration.
In a letter dated August 3, 2020 to the Electoral Commission, a group which calls itself the founding members of the National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP) petitioned the Electoral Commission challenging the amendment of the party’s constitution that allowed the change of name to National Unity Party (NUP) and leadership of the party, and handed it over to Kyagulanyi at a delegates conference held on July 14, 2020.
James Byamukama, the lawyer representing the disgruntled members of NURP says that he will proceed to courts of law, along with the EC, which apparently registered NUP, to challenge the move.
“If you fail to exercise you statutory mandate in the matter, our clients who are the party founders will have no option but to join the Electoral Commission to legal proceedings intended to restore control of the NURP party to its rightful founders and members,” said Byamukama.
Below is the Petition by the lawyer on behalf of the alleged founding members, as well as NUP’s rebuttal but below the petition.
NUP’s Rebuttal
The DICTATORSHIP IN TOTAL PANIC!
When we tried to reserve the name ‘People Power’ in 2019, we found that the regime had deployed its apologists to reserve the name so as to block us from registering a Political Party.
Then, we set out to do consultations as guaranteed by the laws of this land. Under the very eye of the Electoral Commission, our consultations were blocked and frustrated.
A few days back, we dropped a bomb shell that threw them into a state of panic. We had been doing all processes legally but quietly for some months. The day we filed papers at the Electoral Commission informing them of the new leadership of the National Unity Platform, President Museveni immediately sacked key people at the Electoral Commission, including Mr. Sam Rwakoojo, the Secretary and Mr. Jothan Taremwa, the spokesman. Their crime? How did all this happen under their watch?
From the day we unveiled the Party, the regime has been thrown into a pandemonium seeing millions of Ugandans who have embraced the idea. They first tried to downplay us, but that did not work. The thousands of people, including leaders who have been flocking our offices to register have scared the hell out of them.
So they took the war to our colours. Yesterday, the UPC Party stated that the war on colour red is not instigated by them, but by the Electoral Commission. They clearly saw that they were losing that war too.
And now, there is a new attempt by one James Byamukama, whose mission can be clearly understood! The regime is trying to clutch onto anything that will save it from the inevitable collapse and embarrassment that awaits it.
This is a Party which has existed for all these years and no body has ever raised any complaint. The changes which have been made in the recent months have all been done in full compliance with all provisions of the Party Constitution and other laws. They have been approved and gazetted by the Commission itself.
And now, because Hon Kyagulanyi is Party President and they are seeing how much support we are receiving across the nation, they will use all sorts of people to file bogus cases and do all manner of things. We have information that they are even doctoring some documents on the file! Meetings are sitting every day, to find any avenue through which they can stop us or cut down our momentum. The good thing is that we expected all this, and we expect even more. Dictators are shameless, by their very nature.
Our assurance to you comrades- no machinations of any kind have ever saved these dictators. The winds of change can never be stopped by petty laws enacted by petty despots, or even petty schemes instigated by scared dictators. We THE PEOPLE, shall emerge victorious. This new attempt will fail, like all other attempts before them.
#NationalUnityPlatform
#PeoplePower_OurPower
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