By Charles Katabalwa,
NATIONAL
The Conservative Party (CP) has asked Members of Parliament-elect from the National Unity Platform (NUP) to boycott swearing-in and decline the office of Leader of Opposition (LOP) if they are convinced that they won the 2026 presidential election.
Addressing journalists in Lubaga on Wednesday, CP presidential candidate Elton Joseph Mabirizi said taking the oath and assuming parliamentary offices would legitimise the ruling government despite what he described as disputed presidential results.
“If NUP believes it won the presidency, its MPs should not swear in and should reject the Leader of Opposition office. Otherwise, they will be legitimising a government they claim is illegitimate,” Mabirizi said.
According to Mabirizi, boycotting parliamentary proceedings would send a strong political message that sections of Ugandans are dissatisfied with the outcome of the presidential election.
Mabirizi further contended that participating in parliamentary business under the current circumstances would amount to wasting taxpayers’ money on what he termed “pointless duties,” instead of pursuing what he called the people’s mandate.
During the conference, CP also launched the “Red Book” initiative aimed at documenting alleged human rights abuses across the country. The documented cases, according to the party, will be prepared for possible submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue accountability against individuals found culpable.
“We are calling upon all Ugandans with credible evidence of human rights violations to come forward and register their complaints so that justice can be pursued,” Mabirizi said.
This move comes amidst concerns over rising human rights issues in the country, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and torture, particularly targeting opposition supporters and activists.
Efforts to get a comment from NUP leaders were futile by press time.
