By KT Reporter
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) camp in Masaka City has suffered a bitter fallout ahead of next week’s general elections, as a section of its campaign coordinators denounces their parliamentary candidates.
Several NRM campaign coordinators, who also include some party structure leaders in Masaka city, have declared withdrawal of their support from some of the party’s parliamentary candidates in the area, whom they accuse of undermining their efforts and unbecoming social conduct.
The NRM has three parliamentary candidates in Masaka City, who include Robert Asiimwe, the flagbearer for Kimanya-Kabonera division, Racheal Nakitende for Nyendo-Mukungwe division MP, and Justine Nameere, who is contesting for the Masaka City Woman MP seat.
Joseph Muhaabwe, the NRM Publicity Secretary for Gayaza ward in Kimanya-Kabonera division, says their campaign coordination committee is no longer comfortable to continue associating with the party’s candidate for the Masaka City Woman MP seat, because of her unbecoming social conduct that casts them in public disrepute.
He accuses that candidate of undermining the party’s grassroots leadership, bullying, and hurling insults at campaign coordinators; conduct that is demoralising the teams at such a critical moment.
Speaking during the coordinators’ meeting held at Masaka Royal Park gardens, Muhaabwe indicated that they have resolved to hold back the campaign efforts from parliamentary candidates and only focus on mobilising support for President Yoweri Museveni.
Christine Nanyonjo, one of the NRM campaign coordinators for Nyendo-Mukungwe ward, indicates that the negative public perceptions about some of the candidates are frustrating their efforts to revive the party’s support in the area.
She indicates that their Woman MP candidate moves around with gangs of rowdy youth who go around abusing and assaulting voters in the guise of forcing them to support their candidates.
Nanyonjo says they have repeatedly cautioned the implicated individuals against the habits in vain, which has compelled them to denounce them to save the party and President Museveni’s image and support.
Joseph Ssegona, the Vice Chairperson of the NRM Informal Sector mobilizers’ forum, says that they have communicated their frustrations to the party mainstream leadership in the area, which he says guided them to focus their efforts on President Museveni’s campaign.
According to him, some of the party candidates in the area do not command public respect, arguing that it is high time the party started subjecting aspirants to social behavioural tests as part of their vetting process for candidates.
. Ssegona threatens that they are also moving to asktheir supporters to vote for other candidates of their choice after casting their ballots for President Museveni in the impending general polls scheduled for next Thursday.
Rogers Buregeya, the Masaka City NRM Chairperson, says his office is going to engage the disgruntled coordinators to examine their concerns towards finding a solution. “We are going to have a meeting with all the concerned parties to resolve the stalemate.
We do not want anything that threatens President Museveni’s campaign at the moment,” he noted. But Justine Nameere, the Masaka City NRM Woman MP candidate,e whose name features prominently in the coordinators’ complaints, declines to comment about the matter.
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