Bobi Wine’s NUP deputies break silence on claims of deal to back Kadaga third term speaker bid

Top leaders at National Unity Platform (NUP) have dismissed reports that its leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, its MPs and MPs-elect have unanimously agreed to back NRM’s Rebecca Kadaga for the speaker job.

When Kadaga recently launched her third term bid at Speke Resort Munyonyo, a section of NUP MPs attended the event and pledged their support for the NRM second national vice chairperson.

It would later emerge that NUP MPs had met Kadaga at Kabira Country Club in Kampala days before the Munyonyo meeting.

The opposition MPs and their leader Bobi Wine had reportedly pledged support for Kadaga.

But on Monday, March 29, at least two NUP top leaders swore they were yet to decide on who to back for speaker.

The race has attracted four candidates so far: Kadaga, her deputy Jacob Oulanyah, FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, and DP’s Richard Ssebamala.

NUP vice president for eastern Uganda John Baptist Nambeshe suggested the party was capable of sponsoring an MP into the race.

Nambeshe added that NUP MPs won’t be used as mercenaries.

“By the way you are not aware or able to predict whether NUP has a candidate, We may make a surprise,” Nambeshe told reporters on March 29.

“Ours is to make it known to those who are standing that NUP is not merely for rent. We are not there to be hired as mercenaries anyway.”

Nambeshe’s counterpart in charge of central Uganda Mathias Mpuuga emphasized his colleague’s point, thus: “We’ll determine the next speaker, directly or indirectly. Make no mistake, we are not anybody’s escorts.”

Mpuuga added that NUP MPs would soon meet at a retreat to “generate consensus on how best our opinion shall form on who becomes the speaker of Parliament.”