Nup Rallies Behind Hon. Alice Alaso
The National Unity Platform party has pledged to back Alice Alaso Asianut who is contesting in the by-election for the Serere County parliamentary seat. Alaso is a senior official of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).
The Spokesperson of the National Unity Platform, Joel Ssenyonyi and the Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, told journalists at the NUP offices that they are backing Alaso in the spirit of opposition unity.
The Serere parliamentary seat fell vacant in December 2022 when the MP, Hon Patrick Okabe and his wife perished in an accident on the Mbale-Tirinyi highway.
The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party fronted Hon. Alice Alaso as their flag bearer for the fourth coming by-election and called upon all forces of change to rally behind their candidate.
Now, the National Unity Platform has thrown its weight Alaso following a meeting where it was agreed that the NUP members who were interested in the seat would withdraw and rally behind the ANT candidate Hon. Alaso because it's what leadership calls for.
The NUP party Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya says that although they don’t have a lot of hope in the fairness and transparency of by-elections, the party will not boycott by-elections because it's also another way to reaching out to the people and empowering them.
The NUP Vice President for northern region, Lina Zedriga says they are ready for the Serere by-election scheduled for 23rd February regardless of the challenges.
Joel Obore and Jerry Okello, the two NUP members who had expressed interest to contest for Serere parliamentary seat, have now pledged to fully support Hon. Alice Alaso.
Others who have so far expressed interest in the Serere seat are the late Patrick Okabe's son Emmanuel Omoding Okabe, NRM's Phillip Oucor, FDC's Emmanuel Eratu and Martin Ongucuru, an independent. Nominations will be held on 9th and 10th February.
Meanwhile, NUP leaders have continued to show discontent about the alleged abduction of their people and the statement made by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Robinah Nabbanja and the Chairperson of the Uganda Uganda Human Rights Commission Mariam Wangadya on the same issue.
The NUP leaders have also dismissed claims that they do not report the abductions of their people to police, saying that they do but they are not given answers. They have now asked govt to produce in court the people they say are in custody.
During a high-level meeting last week between a team led by the Prime Ministers on one side and the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Matthias Mpuuga on the other, Rt. Hon. Nabbanja only accounted for five missing persons as opposed to the 25 members that the opposition had tabled.
