National Resistance Movement-NRM officials in Rubanda district have clashed over attempts to compel them to support to Henry Ariganyira Musasizi, Rubanda County East parliamentary candidate.

The officials clashed at a meeting convened at Bubaare sub-county primary school playground in Rubanda district on Friday by Musasizi to plan for President Yoweri Museveni’s visit to the district.

The meeting was also attended by Denis Namara, Uganda’s representative to the East African Legislative Assembly-EALA and Nusura Tiperu Omar, former EALA representative who represented the NRM secretary general, Justine Kasule Lumumba. During the meeting, Musasizi noted that despite trying hard to expand the party’s support base in the district, he is still facing opposition from a section of party leaders supporting his rival and independent candidate, Kenneth Jogo Biryabarema.

When Namara took to the podium, he ordered all those opposed to Musasizi to stand up and move forward. Several leaders including Diaz Drake Owoyesigyire, the representative of Hamuhambo town council, Aggrey Bandebaho, the Hamuhambo town council LC 3 chairman, Andrew Niwamanya, the Bushara ward councilor, Windom Kahima Niwamanya, the Muyanje parish councilor and Paulson Friday the Kashenyi parish councilor stood up.

Namara tasked them to pledge before the meeting that they will start supporting Musasizi as well as campaign for him in vain, saying the legislator has often harassed them without reason.

Owoyesigyire said they cannot be compelled to support Musasizi because he also didn’t support Biryabarema when he ran as the NRM candidate for LC 5 chairperson’s seat in the previous elections even after being reconciled by the president.

Windom said Musasizi didn’t stop at fighting Biryabarema in 2017, but he went ahead and sponsored Stephen Kasyaba to run against him as an independent candidate.

Bandebaho says that Musasizi has fueled enmity in Rubanda East by harassing non-Catholic candidates. He also claimed that Musasizi recently went on one of the local radio stations in Kabale and described Biryabarema’s supporters as hooligans, which angered several people.

Musasizi who is also the Rubanda district NRM chairperson says that all candidates who don’t support him will be treated the same way.

Musasizi, who is running for the fourth term is facing stiff competition from Biryabarema, the incumbent Rubanda district LC5 chairman. Biryabarema decided to run as independent accusing Musasizi of conniving with the Rubanda District NRM registrar, Aggrey Monday, Party administrator, Dezi Christmas and Gaudioza Kabondo, an official from the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters to still his victory in the primaries.

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