The National Unity Platform party has rescinded on its early decision to join the Inter-party Organization for Dialogue (IPOD), a dialogue platform for all political parties represented in the Uganda parliament.
A source at the Kamwokya-based NUP headquarters revealed that the opposition party is currently faced with acute financial challenges, a move that has made the top management consider joining IPOD.
The source revealed that several NUP supporters and top leaders have in recent weeks approached the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) in the Netherlands with a list of demands, among which was the immediate resignation of Frank Rusa, who heads the Ugandan office, accusing him of conflict of interest.
“NUP staged a protest at NIMD in The Hague outside the head office in The Netherlands, calling for my registration and reinstatement. It is not fair, and their claims for resignation are unfounded,” Rusa said.
A section of political pundits have questioned the motive of NUP, describing their claims as baseless since they had pulled out of IPOD previously.
“Principal is a rich man who buys houses outside Uganda at will and takes his family on vacation; he is the only one benefiting in this struggle business, whereas others can’t even afford to bring their loved one’s body back home for burial,” says Johnson Nyabahika, a Kampala civil society activist.
According to a reliable source, NUP does not have clear structures and financial accounting procedures; they use money collected from Diaspora supporters for personal gain. Right now, they still want the same guys who supported Wameli while on treatment to send his body back.
“They need to call for accountability and be transparent in their dealings; otherwise, at this rate, people will stop supporting the party,” said the source.
NUP withdrew from IPOD, claiming it was unfair and manipulated by the Ugandan government.