SPEAKER WARS! NRM Invites Applications, But Bans Campaigns, Cash & Dirty Tricks
The race for 12th Parliament Speaker has exploded into a full-blown political battlefield after the ruling National Resistance Movement unveiled a tough new roadmap banning campaigns, voter bribery and mudslinging among contenders battling for the powerful seat.
Addressing journalists Friday evening, Tanga Odoi declared that all interested NRM MPs must officially declare interest between Friday and Saturday May 23 at exactly 3:00pm — with handwritten applications and CVs submitted directly to the party Electoral Commission.
But in a dramatic warning to power-hungry hopefuls, Dr Odoi made it crystal clear: no campaigns allowed! Any aspirant caught canvassing for votes, dishing out cash or attacking rivals risks instant disqualification.
“Any candidate found campaigning, bribing voters or engaging in wrongful publication against others risks disqualification,” he warned.
The names of all contenders will now be forwarded to the party’s powerful Central Executive Committee (CEC), which meets Sunday morning before a decisive NRM parliamentary caucus showdown later at State House.
Dr Odoi also revealed that all 372 NRM MPs qualify to contest — and that no nomination fees will be charged. However, NRM-leaning independents have been locked out of both voting and contesting in the internal race.
In another bombshell, Dr Odoi disclosed that former Speaker Anita Among skipped the meeting after reportedly writing to the party saying she was unwell.
The developments come amid feverish lobbying, secret meetings and growing political tension surrounding the Speakership succession battle — now viewed as a major test of power inside the ruling party.
The contest has also sucked in the influential Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a pressure group linked to Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whose endorsements and mobilisation drives have already sent political temperatures soaring.
But Dr Odoi attempted to cool tensions, insisting that recent celebrations by PLU supporters were “just jubilation” and should not be mistaken for official campaigning.
Behind the scenes, however, the battle for the Speaker’s chair is already shaping into one of the fiercest internal wars the NRM has faced in years — with rival camps flexing muscles ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes showdown.
GOT A HOT STORY? EMAIL: redpeppertips@gmail.
SOURCE PROTECTION/CONFIDENTIALITY IS OUR NO.1 PRIORITY.
About Post Author
