Agency
President Yoweri Museveni has welcomed the endorsement of Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth and Thomas Tayebwa as the 12th Parliament NRM candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, following Sunday’s caucus meeting at State House Entebbe.
In a statement issued after meeting NRM legislators and allied independents, Museveni congratulated the two leaders and urged members of the ruling party to remain guided by ideology rather than personalities when choosing leaders.
“Since the inception of the NRM, we have rejected bad politics. When choosing leaders, we must first ask what needs to be done for the people before asking who should do it,” Museveni said.
He added that politics should reject “identity, religion, tribalism and gender chauvinism” and instead focus on wealth creation and socio-economic transformation through agriculture, services, artisanship and information technology.
The endorsement effectively positions Oboth-Oboth, the MP for West Budama South and former Defence Minister, and Tayebwa, the outgoing Deputy Speaker and MP for Ruhinda North, as overwhelming favourites in Monday’s election of parliamentary presiding officers given the NRM’s commanding majority in the House.
The NRM caucus endorsement followed a dramatic consolidation of support within the ruling party after all other aspirants for both positions reportedly withdrew from the races. Party insiders said the caucus adopted recommendations earlier made by the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC).
According to reports, at least 18 MPs who had expressed interest in contesting for Speaker and Deputy Speaker stepped down before the caucus vote, paving the way for a consensus endorsement.
The development marks the culmination of weeks of intense lobbying that followed the withdrawal of former Speaker Anita Annet Among from the race.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) has fronted Paul Mwiru as the opposition candidate while the Democratic Party (DP) party president, Norbert Mao, who has been riding on the DP/NRM Corporation Agreement of 2022 as possible maneuver for his bid to lead the August House.
