The Electoral Commission has distanced itself from members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) faction which is under the party’s founding leader Moses Nkonge Kibalama.
The EC said yesterday that it didn’t recognize Kibalama and his team as the new leaders of the NUP, and that the delegates’ conference through which Kibalama was reinstated as the party leader was against the party’s own constitution.
The group last month held a delegates’ conference in which they supposedly took over the party leadership from Robert Kayagulanyi, whom they accused of side-lining them and being dictatorial.
Yesterday, the same group unveiled their new party headquarters in Kabowa, Kampala and warned Kyagulanyi and his people to stop using their party colors and symbols.
“As per the delegates’ conference of NUP held on May 27, 2022, it was resolved that the party finds new headquarters from Kamwokya…. The decision to change the party headquarters was as a result of the resolution to end the relationship between the People Power movement and the NUP leadership,” said the faction’s secretary for information, Gideon Tugume.
In the same vein, Kabalama’s team informed press that they had submitted their roadmap for the forthcoming women elections to the Electoral Commissions.
The EC however, yesterday wrote to Kibalama and Paul Simbwa the former NUP General Secretary, informing them that they were not recognized as the leaders of NUP, having resigned from their positions back in 2020.
“You will recall that in the final submissions you made to the Electoral Commission on 21′ July, 2020, you and Mr. Ssimbwa Paul Kagombe resigned as Party Leaders and both of you signed as out-going leaders,” wrote Leonard Russel Mulekwah the EC Secretary.
“Prior to your resignation, you did chair a meeting that conducted elections of office bearers, to whom you handed over respective offices, and the subsequent Party meeting held elections of its National Executive Committee.”
Mulekwah reminded Kibalama and Kakonge that the NUP Constitution requires that a Delegates’ Conference is convened and chaired by the President, except that the President may delegate in writing, the power to chair it or any part thereof to any member of the National Executive Committee.
“Further, no communication is on record in respect to resignation and or rescinding of offices by the said Executive Committee, who according to Article 6.2(c)(i) of the Party Constitution should hold office for 5 (five) years.”
“This is, therefore, to inform you that the convening of the Delegates’ Conference and election of the National Executive Committee ought to comply with the National Unity Platform Constitution.”
