The National Unity Platform (NUP) party leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has apologized to his supporters, who have been tried and convicted by the General Court Martial (GCM) on charges of treason and being in possession of explosives.
While addressing the NUP party presser on Monday, October 21, 2024, at the party headquarters in Kavule, Makerere, Kyagulanyi urged other party supporters not to look at the accused supporters who recently pleaded guilty to the charges in court as traitors.
“I encourage all of you not to insult and isolate our comrades who pleaded guilty to charges; they are not traitors, but that’s the law; we cannot change it. I also want to use this opportunity and ask our comrades who are in prison and their families for forgiveness; we didn’t set them up as being claimed, but we were all involved in liberating our country by all means,” Kyagulanyi said.
He appealed to the NUP foot soldiers to observe the law while involved in party mobilization activities as well as daily transactions with the general public.
“I and my colleagues, the foot soldiers, we must live as responsible citizens by respecting and observing the law; there we shall expose the regime’s evil acts like nonsensical legal prosecutions against our supporters,” he added.
Kyagulanyi was recently blamed for only negotiating for the release of his close friends, Eddy Mutwe, fellow dancehall singer Nubian Li, and a brother-in-law, Selector Dave, and left the convicted supporters in trouble.
Numerous calls from opposition leaders, including the former party deputy president for the Buganda region, Mathias Mpuuga, MP Abed Bwanika, and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, for negotiations between the NUP and government to release their supporters had previously failed.
NUP leaders, including Kyagulanyi, were blamed for encouraging the accused to deny the charges and instead concentrated on trips to Europe and America, hosting musical concerts and filming documentaries.
The majority of the accused have since ignored Kyagulanyi’s advice, and pleaded guilty to the charges, and they are pinning NUP leaders for using them to commit offenses.
They further revealed how Kyagulanyi heavily facilitated them financially and morally to manufacture petrol bombs and use them on different security and government installations.
The General Court Martial on Monday, October 21, 2024, convicted the accused (16) upon their plea of guilty on charges of treason and having 13 explosive devices.
