In a bold display of defiance, Hon Mathias Mpuuga, the embattled former Leader of Opposition (LoP), has directly challenged National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, asserting his founding role within the party.
Mpuuga’s resolute declaration comes amidst escalating tensions within NUP and sheds light on deep-rooted divisions within Uganda’s biggest opposition establishment.
Addressing the media in a press conference at Parliament on Tuesday, Mpuuga delivered a direct rebuke to Bobi Wine and the entire NUP leadership, accusing them of being “clueless” and out of touch with political realities happening in the country.
With unwavering conviction, Mpuuga declared, “I didn’t join NUP, I started and founded it,” challenging any attempts to sideline him from the party he helped establish.
Mpuuga’s assertion comes after the NUP administration issued a letter to the Speaker of Parliament dated March 18, notifying her to drop him as commissioner, a position he was appointed to after being sacked as LoP.
Mpuuga’s alleged transgression is the shs 500 million which exhibitors exposed on social media, that he allegedly sought as a reward for being LoP.
Bobi Wine and his associates referred to Mpuuga as corrupt and asked him to step down, a call he defied.
On Tuesday, while addressing the media, he instead said he was embarking on reforming the party rather than exiting. “I told my party that I am not corrupt and I will never be corrupt.”
“I have not had a meeting with my party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka [Bobi Wine]. I have only been hearing him speak at funerals, conferences, the media, among others trying to convince the country to believe that I’m a terrible human being but the country has refused to believe that.”
By positioning himself as a foundational figure within the NUP, Mpuuga aims to solidify his position amidst growing internal discord and external pressures.
With a defiant tone, he asserts his resilience against any attempts to oust him from his position within the NUP hierarchy.
Beyond defending his own position, Mpuuga has signaled his commitment to reforming the NUP from within.
He vows to address issues of corruption, blackmail, and internal discord that have plagued the party, positioning himself as a catalyst for change within the opposition
“By the end of the planned NUP reform process, arbitrary, obscurantist and deviant work methods, lack of internal conflict resolution mechanisms, nepotism, corruption, greed and abuse of office, extortions, blackmail, defamation and slander including lack of internal democracy shall only but be practices of the past within our great party”