PM Nabbanja gets new mission - to eradicate Opposition
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has doubled up on her boss' decades-long dream to wipe out political Opposition to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Nabbanja has been carried her mobilisation of government programmes with vivacious eccentricity but her rabble-rousing declaration against the Opposition did reveal a little more, including saying the DP was "wedded to NRM".
The premier, who was on Wednesday speaking at the launch of the Masaka-Mutukula road reconstruction in Kyotera District, cited Opposition actors who have joined forces with NRM.
Listing Opposition actors who have aligned with NRM such as Democratic Party's Norbert Mao, Uganda People's Congress' James Akena and his wife Betty Amongi as well as Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa, she suggested there were marriages in the offing.
“There is no permanent enemy in politics and this is the reason why all opposition members are my friends because I know and cocksure that anytime they will join us in the ruling party," she said.
"Democratic party was already wedded by NRM," she added.
Nabbanja drew attention to the internal strife within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) as evidence that the party may soon align itself with the NRM.
She also cited conflicts between National Unity platform members, including the tension between Mpuga and party leader Robert Kyagulanyi, as indicative of a potential shift towards the ruling party.
The PM hinted at a concerted effort to consolidate power by co-opting opposition members and weakening dissenting voices.
Critics have condemned Nabbanja's statements as undemocratic and a threat to political pluralism in Uganda.
The assertion comes amidst growing concerns over the state of democracy in Uganda, with opposition parties facing increasing pressure and harassment from the government.
As Nabbanja's words reverberate across the nation, they raise questions about the future of political opposition in Uganda and the extent to which the ruling party will go to maintain its grip on power.
With tensions mounting and the spectre of authoritarianism looming large, Uganda finds itself at a crossroads, where the fate of democracy hangs in the balance.
