NRM aspirants to hold joint rallies

By Estella Jones

At its July 6 meeting, NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) asked Kasule Lumumba, the secretary general, to give party supporters who missed or skipped the just-concluded registration exercise another chance, The Rwenzori Times has learnt.

A source who attended the July 6 meeting at State House Entebbe told The Observer that the CEC, unanimously resolved that the new party register should be displayed urgently.

As CEC we are through with discussing the NRM roadmap, and we agreed that the new NRM register should be displayed,” a source said. 

This source further revealed that CEC also agreed during the meeting chaired by Moses Kigongo, the NRM vice chairman, to allow NRM members who had missed out on the registration exercise to do so during the display of the register.

“We allowed the party secretariat to open up for those NRM members who had not registered,” the source said.

To avoid a repeat of 2010 when the NRM primaries were marred by confusion and allegations of rigging, the party’s second most important organ recommended stricter rules of engagement.

For instance, abusive language is forbidden and all candidates are to use joint public rallies to interact with the electorate.

“Our rules are almost the same as those of the electoral commission, because there is no candidate who will be allowed to use bad language against the other,” our source said. “The only difference is that all candidates will speak to the electorate at one rally.”

CEC MEETS AGAIN

Interviewed yesterday, Richard Todwong, the deputy NRM secretary general, said they will release the roadmap at a press conference today, Friday.

“Yes, we are almost done with the roadmap, but we are going to the CEC to harmonise all the positions,” he said, adding that the roadmap would be unveiled to the press thereafter.

The CEC meeting of Thursday is also expected to discuss the possible candidature of former Prime Minister and Secretary General Amama Mbabazi whose presidential bid announcement has thrown the party into confusion. For all the time President Museveni has led NRM, his position as chairman had never been challenged.