By KT Reporter
Speaking at a campaigning event for Kampala lord mayor candidate Ronald Balimwezo who is competing with his own sister Nabillah Nagayi, Lubaga north MP Abubakar Kawalya said NUP is a big party with a lot of support and that all its flag bearers and candidates can win without votes or even support from other Ugandans who don’t subscribe to the party.
He added that because of that, their presidential candidate Kyagulanyi and Balimwezo for lord mayorship can win their respective races without requiring votes from non-party members.
Kawalya called on voters not to listen to but to chase away candidates from other opposition parties who come to them campaigning for Kyagulanyi. He said Kyagulanyi is strong enough and only needs votes from NUP members and supporters.
Using the luganda words ‘tebwatwesibako, tukoye abo abagenda besiba ku president waffe ng’ate si ba NUP,’ Kawalya said that voters should know that its only NUP flag bearers and candidates backed by Kavule who are authorized and mandated to campaign for Kyagulanyi.
The likes of Erias Lukwago, Medard Segona, Semujju Nganda, Joyce Bagala, David Musiri, Roy Semboga, Winnie Nakandi, Matia Lwanga Bwanika, Sajjalyabeene, Bakaluba Mukasa, Anifa Nabukeera, Allan Sewanyana, TuffB Sekidde, Nsereko Wakayima, Aloysius Mukasa, Faruk Ntege, Yusuf Nsibambi etc are unwanted and don’t have the permission to campaign for Kyagulanyi.
He made it clear that the NUP supporters should keep together and avoid interacting with non-NUP members because the party has enough supporters to get victory for their presidential candidate and other candidates.
He said that candidates who don’t have NUP flag shouldn’t be listened to or even elected because they are enemies of Kyagulanyi and enemies of Uganda too.
He added that all voters should do is to tick only those with the umbrella symbol and leave the rest to Kyagulanyi.
In the presence of Zahara Luyirika, Balimwezo and others, Abubakar Kawalya (who is one of the MPs who never talk in parliament and only uses money to get votes) said there is nothing to stop NUP flag bearers from winning in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts.
His comments seemed to discourage online Ugandans who like and intended to vote for Kyagulanyi yet they are not NUP members or supporters.
Kawalya says that everybody wants to tell people they wish Kyagulanyi well yet that is not good enough anymore. One must have the NUP flag and the umbrella as evidence that they have been cleared by Kyagulanyi.
Kawalya said that the position of Kampala lord mayor is very important and it must be won by Balimwezo who is on the NUP ticket since its the biggest position the opposition can ever win in Uganda for as long as Museveni is on the ballot.
He added that its an insult to Kyagulanyi who considers Kampala to be his stronghold for the lord mayor position to be occupied by Erias Lukwago who is not NUP.
This directive that only NUP flag bearers are the ones who have the permission to campaign for Kyagulanyi and say anything good about him negatively affects the NUP presidential candidate’s appeal to voters because there are some instances where independents and politicians who are not neccessarily NUP have more legitimacy and more influence on community members than people carrying the NUP flag.
And in any case, even if he or she is very popular, there is no presidential candidate who can win with only votes of his party members. You need every vote because politics and elections is a game of numbers whereby every vote counts.
Kawalya, who himself is seeking re-election for Rubaga north, doesn’t seem to be aware of that. There are many constituences in Uganda where NUP members or even supporters are not the majority and there Kyagulanyi needs every vote to win and not only his party members.
These are all things which people who think like Abubakar Kawalya must seriously think about or else they indirectly decampaign Kyagulanyi and reduce his chances to political victory.
If you are a candidate in any election at whatever level, you need every vote and not just your party members. The earlier the Kavule party realizes this and calls its excited cadres like Abubakar Kawalya to order, the better.
As a politician, Kawalya is only good at splashing money at Kavule and at voters- otherwise, he can’t lead a demonstration and can’t even talk in parliament. Neither is he an effective speaker on radio and TV talk shows. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
