President Museveni’s recent letter addressing the chaos within the NRM primaries became the focal point of a lively discussion featuring Theodore Ssekikubo, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Emmanuel Dombo, and Fred Mbidde.
Mbidde argued that the President’s message was more about appearances than action.
“The problem is not the problem. The problem is the attitude of leaders towards the problem,” he said.
According to him, Museveni consistently presents himself as an outsider to the problems within his own party, despite being the ultimate authority. Mbidde described Ssekikubo as a possible victim of the “éminence grise” — powerful individuals who operate behind the scenes.
“In every NRM political equation, someone is being used. If you look around and see no one being used, it’s probably you,” he remarked.
Ssekikubo, a prominent NRM member and critic, expressed deep frustration with the conduct of the primaries. While he acknowledged that the process had the right tools in place — voter registers, DR forms, and a clear mode of voting — he insisted that the manipulation happened in the finer details.
He has been demanding access to DR forms from the NRM Secretariat to verify the results, stating, “A winner is declared out of DR forms. For four days running, I have been at the Secretariat asking to compare them. My victory was snatched from me.”
Ssekikubo also warned against the growing involvement of the military in politics. “When soldiers start small in elections, who knows what comes next? This is dangerous.” Despite his loss, he remains hopeful. “My loss is temporary since the party has opened a channel for the aggrieved to be heard.”
On the other hand, Dombo, NRM’s Director for Communication, painted a different picture.
“The primaries were very successful. People are arguing as if violence and bribery happened everywhere. That’s not the case,” he said.
Dombo defended the establishment of the tribunal by the President, emphasising that it was part of the party’s constitution and not a last-minute solution.
He also downplayed criticism of security interference by comparing it to events in global politics. “President Trump survived a bullet during the US elections. That wasn’t NRM. Criminality can happen anywhere in the world. The real question is, what does the party do when it happens?”
Ssemujju disagreed, suggesting that the President’s letter was more about controlling the narrative than genuine concern.
“Museveni’s only interest is to calm the situation and woo Ssekikubo’s supporters. He’s pretending the problem is elsewhere — Tanga Odoi, not himself,” he said.
Ssemujju claimed that specific military officials were deployed to silence dissenting voices. “I sympathise with Ssekikubo. They sent Rwashande to deal with him.”
Mbidde added that the President’s public posture often mirrors that of the opposition, masking his full control over the system.
“If you find him addressing a rally, you’d think he’s an opposition leader. This has been his character since coming into power.” He closed with a powerful quote: “A professor once told me: it’s dangerous to be right in a society where prominent people are wrong.”
