Youth want Mbabazi out of NRM

Youth want Mbabazi out of NRM

BY KIHEMBO WILBERT


KAMPALA.

A group 225 NRM supporters yesterday petitioned President Museveni in his capacity as the NRM party chair to summon an impromptu NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting to have former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi kicked out of the party.

The group “Cadres 2014”, who handed their petition to Youth state minister Evelyn Anite, want party secretary general Justine Kasule Lumumba to call CEC and expel the Mr Mbabazi from the party. Cadres 2014 is a youth association passed out by President Museveni at Nakivubo Blue Primary School last year after undergoing military training.

They accuse Mr Mbabazi, among others, of “campaigning before time stipulated by the NRM electoral commission, constantly associating with the Opposition through The Democratic Alliance(TDA) and the use of hate messages spread by his supporters.”

The youth led by Mr Swaib Ssemakade also want Mr Mbabazi subjected to disciplinary action for using a logo different from that of the NRM party.

Anite welcomes petition
Ms Anite, who championed the controversial Kyankwanzi resolution which endorsed President Museveni as the NRM sole candidate, said she shared similar sentiments about Mr Mbabazi with the group.

“I have already written to the SG and the party chairman. I associate with the youth and that is why we moved the sole candidature resolution because he has been working with the opposition to undermine the work of our party.”

Ms Anite, who said other youth groups have written to her with similar petitions, said NRM could not make a mistake of replacing Mr Museveni with Mr Mbabazi.

“We cannot replace a driver with a conductor. You cannot push out a driver who has taken you from Kampala to Kisoro with a conductor whose job is to call passengers. President Museveni has navigated us through instability and illiteracy. Why would we replace him.”

The long term
The youth petition comes days after Mr Mbabazi declared he would contest for the NRM party presidential flag bearer and later vie for the presidency at national level. His announcement has since attracted criticism within the NRM circles with some leaders suggesting that it is not yet time for campaigns.