'Bobi Wine should come out publicly and tame supporters,' Besigye says as Red Card campaign gets criticism

Opposition strongman Dr. Kizza Besigye wants the National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine to ‘tame’ his supporters publicly over attacks on the newly launched pressure group, the People's Front for Transition.

The People’s Front for Transition (PFT) was launched last week under the red card campaign. The front has however faced resistance among analysts and opposition supporters, saying that it seeks to shadow the National Unity Platform.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Besigye, who is the National Chairperson of the PFT said that he has engaged Kyagulanyi over these attacks, and he is wondering when he will come out publicly to ‘sweet talk’ his supporters.

“I called him (Kyagulanyi) and he said he regrets the ongoing attacks on. Some people have been asking me why he has not done that publicly and I don’t know why but I leave that to him,” Besigye said while answering a question from a journalist on Monday.

The four-time presidential candidate and founding president of the FDC said that he had personally engaged Kyagulanyi and the NUP leadership prior to the launch of the PFT, and they seemed to close to an agreement before the NUP leadership retraced its course.

“ I personally engaged them in great detail and the leadership was very receptive of what we are doing, they showed enthusiasm to be part of this but later, I think they engaged their other colleagues and developed second thoughts,” Besigye added.

Besigye however said that he is confident that maybe after consultation with their members, they might come and be part of them.

He said that it is not true that they have sidelined NUP and reaffirmed commitments to work with every party that seeks change.

NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi told this website that they are surprised to see FDC seeking partnership with them, yet they were unresponsive when they contacted them earlier this year.

“You remember that we sent letters to all parties and they all replied expect FDC. It is possible that they were busy,” Ssenyonyi said.