That President Museveni has previously tried to influence the election to the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) of several cadres is a public secret.
And by tomorrow (Thursday), the ruling NRM party’s chairman is also expected to remove 38 candidates from the 44 who picked nomination forms yesterday to stand based on their mannerisms and other aspects.
Dr Tanga Odoi, the NRM electoral commission chair, said that CEC, the second-highest organ of the NRM, headed by Museveni may remove candidates based on their mannerisms and other aspects, but he sounded confident that many names will make it to the party caucus.
TheUgandan understands that the President will this time be closely involved and could influence the process to avoid characters like those amongst Uganda’s outgoing Eala MPs who ashamed the party by openly fighting their leader, Hon. Margaret Nantongo Zziwa who was controversially impeached and replaced by Hon. Daniel Kidega as the Speaker for EALA up to date.
Among those Museveni has put under serious scrutiny are former legislators Henry Banyenzaki (Rubanda West), Yona Musinguzi (Ntungamo municipality), Sarah Mwebaza (Kibuku Woman) and Capt Francis Babu (Kampala Central) while his former aide on social media, Sarah Kagingo, Anek Nancy Obita, a journalist are also under the microscope.
Meanwhile, opposition Democratic Party (DP) president Norbert Mao has yielded to Pressure from several party members demanding for opening up contest of the position for the Eala representative.
The party had earlier announced that the National Executive Committee (NEC) had agreed to maintain the incumbent Fred Mukasa Mbidde as the party’s sole candidate. According to the new guidelines issued, each member must pay a nomination fee of Sh350000, having been an active party member for the last five years.
Leading opposition party, FDC has decided to have their elections on Monday 6/Feb/ 2017 with the confirmed candidates including; Ayo Innocent, Ekwau Ibi Florence, Herbert Mayemba, Ingrid K. Turinawe, Joseph Tundyebwa, Kyambadde Wilberforce, Ojobile Augustine, Paga Gloria and Patrick Baguma Atenyi.
Previously, FDC which did not participate in the 2012 Eala elections was given two slots but the number of candidates the party is to send for the House vote will depend on the number of slots Parliament will allocate to the party.
Currently, the House is considering rules that will inform the Eala elections and will determine how many slots to allocate to the FDC party with majority opposition Members of Parliament.
The status quo grants six out of the nine Eala slots to the ruling party, two to the Opposition and only one to Independents.
With the Independents coming as second to the NRM in the composition of the 10th Parliament, debate remains on whether the Opposition will stage a fight to retain their slots or relinquish to a single slot.
