KIBULI: Prince Nakibinge, the titular head of Muslims in Uganda has persuaded
the National Unity Platform flag bearer in the Kampala Lord Mayor race, Latif Ssebagala to down from the race in favour of his fellow Muslim, Hajji Erias Lukwago.
Ssebagala cited the need to maintain unity for the good of the opposition.
Ssebagala said: “I remain a member of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and will still give all my support to Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu for the presidency.”
The development comes just days after Ssebagala saw off competition from among others, prominent musician Joseph Mayanja also known as Chameleon to the NUP ticket.
Ssebagala has asked NUP supporters to respect the decision he has made and take it in good faith
He says he will be unveiling a new plan very soon.
Over the last one year, Ssebagala has oscillated from one position to another, leaving people guessing. At the start of 2019, he announced that he would contest for the mayorship of Kampala and made runs on media stations promoting his bid.
Towards the end of the year, he said he had now opted to return to Kawempe North which he has represented since 2001. Two months ago, he said he would not run for the mayorship but last week, he announced that he had chosen to stand for EALA elections. He returned to the Mayoral race and again has abandoned it.
NUP announced over the weekend that it had selected Ssebagala because, among other things, he has name recognition, is an experienced politician, and is loyal to the party head, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
Mayanja on the other hand was said to have questionable academic documents while his political experience was lacking.
Yet Mayanja, who had already started laying the ground for the race and had opened a campaign office for the same is not willing to go down without a fight.
Chameloene roars;
Right after failing to get NUP’s endorsement, Joseph Mayanja sounded warning to Bobi Wine to repell ‘opportunists’ like Latif Ssebagala and the likes.
“They want Museveni to go, why do they stay. Bobi should be wary of those old men who want power, they are wrong,” he said.
Mayanja said that he had been voting for Ssebagala since he was a young man of 18 but that Ssebagala continued to want to cling to power. He warned that Ssebagala was up to something.
Mayanja said that since he had failed to secure NUP support, he would take his campaign right to the voters directly to decide if he should be Kampala mayor.
Video credit: NTV
