NUP to support ANT’s Alaso in Serere County by-election

By Charles Katabalwa

7^th Feb 2023

The National Unity Platform-NUP will back the Alliance for National Transformation-ANT candidate Alice Alaso in the Serere County Parliamentary by-election. 

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, the NUP Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said that while two party members, Jerry Okello, and Joel Obore, expressed interest in carrying the NUP flag during the election, they unanimously decided to put their support behind Alaso because they believe in the unity of the opposition and the competence of Alaso, who has previously served as a Member of Parliament.

Obore, who had expressed interest in the by-election said he found no hardship in stepping aside to give chance to Alaso when approached by the party’s leadership because he believes the opposition has one goal.

Two weeks ago, ANT unveiled Alaso and the party principal Mugisha Muntu asked other opposition political parties to embrace her candidature and not front another opposition candidate.

However, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) defied this call and fronted Emmanuel Eratu as their candidate for the election.

The Serere County parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Patrick Okabe who along with his wife Christine died in an accident along the Mbale-Tirinyi route on December 19, 2022.

According to the roadmap issued by the electoral commission earlier in January, the nomination of candidates will take place on February 9 and 10, 2023 at the Serere District Returning Officer’s Office followed by campaign meetings that will last only nine days from February 13 to February 21 and elections will take place on February 23.

At the same press briefing the NUP’s Secretary General Davis Lewis Rubongoya, re-echoed NUP’s call to the government security agencies to release their party supporters who have been illegally arrested.

According to Rubongoya, the list of abductees that was previously provided to the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Wangadya, which had 25 people is constantly growing, with more cases being reported.