NATIONAL
A pressure group within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has demanded clarification from the party leadership over a document circulating on social media purporting to endorse the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, the NRM Revolutionary Network (NRN) said the document purported to be Central Executive Committee (CEC) resolution endorsing Speaker Anita Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa as the party’s official candidates for the same positions in the 12th Parliament lacks authenticity.
On Wednesday, the media reported that President Museveni asked the NRM parliamentary caucus through the party secretary general Richard Todwong, raises to back Speaker Among and her deputy Tayebwa.
No formal document has been published by the party on their official platforms, the NRM spokesperson, Emmanuel Lumala Dombo confirmed receipt of the President’s letter at the secretariat. However, the doubtful youth insisted that the document raises “serious institutional concerns.”
“The NRN has taken note of a document circulating widely on social and mainstream media purporting to be a Central Executive Committee resolution formally endorsing Rt Hon Anita Among and Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa as official NRM candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 12th Parliament,” the statement reads in part.
Reports of CEC endorsement first emerged earlier this year, but the NRM Secretariat did not release any formal resolution to that effect. The party’s legal directorate later clarified that no such endorsement had taken place.
“Now, days after sustained calls for transparency, a document emerges out of nowhere under questionable circumstances,” the group said.
The pressure group allege that the circulating document has irregularities, including grammatical inconsistencies and signatures that appear inconsistent with known official signatures used on party instruments.
“These discrepancies cannot be ignored,” the statement adds.
They demanded that if the document is authentic, the NRM Secretariat should formally release it through official party communication channels, warning against forgery of official party documents.
“Forgery of official party resolutions especially those bearing the name and signature of the national chairman, is not a small matter. It is an attack on the integrity of the NRM,” the statement said.
The group demanded an immediate clarification from the NRM Secretariat regarding the authenticity of the document and called for a formal investigation if it is found to be fraudulent.
They also urged the party leadership to recommit to transparent communication on matters of institutional importance.
“The future of the NRM cannot be built on confusion. It must be anchored in discipline, transparency and institutional credibility,” the statement added.
Background
On Monday, the NRM Revolutionary Network held a press conference in Kampala where its leaders warned against what they described as attempts to manipulate internal party processes ahead of key parliamentary leadership decisions.
During the briefing, the group called on the President Museveni to intervene in the party’s position towards election of the speaker to avoid divisions within the ruling party.
