Journalist Andrew Mwenda says he was not serious about joining the National Unity Platform (NUP) and challenging its leader Bobi Wine in the race for the 2021 presidential election flag bearer.
In August 2020, Andrew Mwenda announced he would challenge Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine after the controversial government-leaning analyst picked registered as a member of NUP.
After securing a party card, Mwenda picked forms to run for presidential flag bearer against Bobi Wine.
But party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said Mwenda had taken wrong forms. Later, NUP declared Bobi Wine unopposed as flag bearer, and Mwenda protested.
“I have just been informed that Bobi Wine was selected “unopposed” as NUP presidential flag bearer! NUP knew that I had picked forms which I was filling and did not inform me of the “deadline!” said Mwenda on August 22.
“This is a rigged and anti democratic process! I am going to challenge it!”
Now, Mwenda has told STV joining NUP was a stunt, and wondered how the press took such a joke seriously.
“I was on NBS Television and said if I went there they would kill me because I think people there are so radical in their beliefs, they think anyone who disagrees with them should be murdered,” said Mwenda
He added that he belonged to no political party, although he wanted to see change but was disappointed because all opposition parties seemed to be similar to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“I don’t want to change from Amin to Adolf Hitler,” he said, adding that only Muntu had the values he admired.
Ssenyonyi was one of the party members that had described Mwenda as a joker.
“If he is serious, really, about joining the party, he is welcome; but clearly it looks like he was just trying to make a joke out of this and the joke has fallen on him,” said Ssenyonyi on August 07.
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