DP's Mao seeks coalition with Bobi Wine's NUP

The Democratic Party(DP) president Norbert Mao has reached out to the National Unity Platform (NUP) principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine for possible talks on mending relations.

Democratic Party President General, Norbert Mao said that NUP and DP have to put aside their differences for possible unity against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

"We are going to have a meeting with the NUP leader and his core team as DP to discuss how to continue the struggle beyond elections," Mao said.

Mao was one of the unsuccessful presidential candidates in the January 14th election. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni emerged victor.

In the run-up to the election, Mao's DP suffered a defection of at least eleven Members of Parliament to Bobi Wine's NUP.  In the end, a total of 21 MPs joined NUP. Mao, however, played off the defection as the "loss of some crops. We have seeds to rebuild."

That encounter was not the first bruising encounter between the DP and the political force that had become Bobi Wine. While canvassing for support for his Kyadondo East MP 2017 bid, Bobi Wine sought the support of DP. He was turned down by Mao's DP.

Ahead of the 2021 elections, several opposition leaders including Bobi Wine called for the fronting of a single candidate. The idea was also mooted by Alliance for National Transformation's (ANT) Major General (rtd) Mugisha Muntu. His call was echoed by Lt General (rtd) Henry Tumukunde. 

The calls were rejected by Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and came to nothing.

Four years down the road, it is not clear if the NUP will warm up to the coalition idea. Our reporter's efforts to get NUP Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi for a comment were futile as he was not picking his known numbers.

Mao made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation from Women's Situation Room in Kampala.

Mao also wants Parliament to amend its rules of procedure, to have the opposition chair the Human Rights Committee of Parliament.

The committee is currently chaired by government.

"We are going to demand as we did in Parliament for this. The government can not oversee itself because this is like auditing, I can not audit my self," Mao said.