Bobi Wine, Besigye go separate ways in Bugiri polls

Kyadondo East Law maker Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine says he will throw his weight behind Justice Forum (Jeema) party president, Asuman Basalirwa in the upcoming Bugiri municipality polls that will see him take a different path from his political ally and opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye.

Speaking to the Nile Post from parliament, Kyagulanyi described Basalirwa as a committed cadre in the struggle for change who cannot be lost out at such a critical time

“I am certainly going to Bugiri ,we decided to stand together during the time when our constitution was being tampered with and that’s why we have supported FDC candidates Paul Mwiru in Jinja ,Betty Muzanira in Rukungiri and this time we are supporting Jeema’s Asuman Basalirwa in Bugiri” Kyagulanyi said.

Kyagulanyi says they resolved not to look at political parties, religion or tribes in selecting candidates but focus on the ideals that hold them together.

“Asuman Basalirwa has been in the struggle with us , he has been standing for all of us when under arrest , he is a personality we cannot afford to lose ,we so need him in this revolution ,in this struggle Asuman Basalirwa is a person we cannot miss out on. “

This means Kyagulanyi and his political ally Dr Kizza Besigye will walk separate paths in the Bugiri polls.

In an earlier interview, Besigye threw his weight behind FDC’s Eunice Namatende as he expressed his frustration with the Asuman Basalirwa camp for failing attempts to go through a process to identify a joint opposition candidate.

The Bugiri polls will split opposition personalities and parties with the democratic party this time backing Basalirwa.

Other opposition MPs when asked about their choice of candidates had this to say;

PAUL MWIRU, JINJA EAST (FDC)

I am a member of the Forum for Democratic Change as of today as far as we are concerned we have a candidate who is Eunice Namatende so we shall go there to drum support for her.

There have been a lot of distortions that she has not been part of the struggle but she has previously contested three times and you know the way NRM has been throwing money around, if she was a treasure hunter or money minded she would have been bought long time ago

FOLRENCE NAMAYANJA, BUKOTO EAST (DP)

I am yet to take a decision; I have not yet formed a decision on who I will support in the Bugiri polls

MUBARAK MUNYAGWA, KAWEMPE SOUTH (FDC)

I will be in Bugiri and I want every one to know that FDC has a candidate in that election, every election is local and if you are not grounded you cannot be forced on the voters. Eunice has demonstrated that she has support on the ground

We shall also not be the first to do this, we were activists together with Asuman Basalirwa but he abandoned us in 2016 and joined the Mbabazi campaign team , so we shall also exercise our discretion in this election and support a candidate who is popular on the ground