By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Moses Nkonge Kibalama, the founding president of the National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP) which later metamorphosed into the National Unity Platform (NUP) has ignited the efforts to retrieve his party that he had surrendered to former 2021 presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.
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According to the letter addressed to the chairman Electoral Commission (EC), copied to National Unity Platform, Kibalama’s group through its lawyers of MS Mugabi Shyaka & Co. Advocates have noted that their efforts to resolve the impasse with Kyagulanyi’s group have remained futile thus seeking permission from the EC to constitute an interim leadership of what they allege to be their party NURP turned NUP.
”Our efforts to resolve the impasse with People Power Movement were futile. On premises therefore, the memorandum of understanding remains rescinded and we therefore seek to constitute an interim leadership of the National Unity Platform and organize a delegates conference to elect new leadership,” reads partially Kibalama’s letter to EC. (https://www.colburnschool.edu/)
The above letter comes on the hills of the July, 6, 2021 letter in which Kibalama together with whom he calls his party Secretary General Ssimbwa Paul Kagombe, Kigozi Winston, the deputy head of policy and William Odinga Balikuddembe, the head of research wrote to the NUP Secretary-General Lewis Rubongoya seeking a meeting over in order to review the memorandum of understanding signed last year between Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine and his party.
“Please be advised that in terms of Clause 5 of the impugned memorandum of understanding, the same ought to be reviewed and we are reliably informed by our clients, that you have since the signing of the understanding totally disregarded all the terms express or otherwise agreed upon by the parties in particular Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of the same, insofar as to date our clients have never assumed the positions of leaderships agreed thereunder nor are there any such offices created for that purpose,” July 6th letter reads in part.
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According to Kibalama and his group, they were hoodwinked by Kyagulanyi and that they seek to have the memorandum of understanding reviewed since even the People Power Movement that entered the MoU with their party is non-existent and therefore has no legal capacity to enter and execute any agreement.
It is worth noting that in 2020 Kibalama and his group handed over National Unity Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP) to opposition strongman, Robert Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine but Kibalama later after being abducted by the army for unknown reasons, he came out claiming that he didn’t authorize the change of hands of the party to Kyagulanyi.
He claimed the NUP leadership had failed to pay him $5m as agreed during the takeover but other party members led by Secretary-General, Paul Kagombe said their signatures had been forged to ensure the party is hijacked by Kyagulanyi’s group.
READ ALSO: ‘Slippery’ Kibalama Not Arrested But Compromised By Scared Yoweri Museveni- Bobi Wine
These ran to court to challenge the take over and during the hearing of the matter before Justice Musa Ssekaana, Kibalama on several occasions contradicted himself a case court trashed and gave green lights to Kyagulanyi’s team.
However after the court ruling, Kibalama who had earlier been blasted by the High Court as being a serial liar, this very year 2021 dragged government to court for allegedly coaching him to lie against Kyagulanyi.
“During all this time, I was under the forceful custody of the state agents, my rights and freedoms were violated. I was forced and coached to present thoughts and views that were not my own,” Kibalama said in a suit where he wanted government to compensate him over the alleged torture and today comes back in news with pretense to revive what he already lost.
