NRM will not tolerate anyone trying to divide the party - Moses Kigongo

Kigongo was speaking in the context of the party leaders in Kisoro having endorsed Eddie Kwizera last week as the party flag bearer for the forthcoming Bukimbiri county by-election, only for the said leaders to be defied by party member Asigalire Turyagyenda.

Turyagyenda, who threatened to stand as an Independent, said he leave the party if it did not address specific grievances.

“There is no unity in the party here on ground and at the secretariat let them not deceive you, if the issues are not sorted am not stepping aside,” Asigalire.said.

Kigongo responds

Kigongo said this was unacceptable that “some elements who claim to associate with the party are defying the party position and the will of the majority" by siding with those he dubbed “enemies of progress”.

“The people of Bukimbiri County voted Kwizera to carry their flag and went on to win the general election. The movement therefore cannot tolerate anyone who threatens to divide the party by contravening our ideologies and core principles. Errant members will be summoned by the party disciplinary committee and those found culpable shall face punitive measures as a deterrence to other members,” Kigongo warned.

Kigongo added that the Bukimbiri poll is not about individual candidates, it is about delivering victory to the NRM party.

He noted with concern that some clergy and local leaders in Kisoro have openly campaigned for some candidates and campaigned others along religious lines.

“It is such sectarian tendencies that forced us to go to the bush to fight past regimes. We ushered in issue-based politics and encouraged unity among all people irrespective of religious affiliations.”

He stated that the NRM’s core principles are patriotism, pan Africanism, democracy and socio-economic transformation.

The Bukimbiri County parliamentary seat fell vacant in July when the Court of Appeal nullified Kwizera’s position as an MP after the judges ruled that the ballot papers that were used in the elections that elevated him to victory were defective.

The Electoral Commission has set August, 11, 2022, as the date for the by-election.