Three days ago, Forum for Democratic Change –FDC’s Chairman, Waswa Birigwa and National Unit Platform –NUP’s Secretary General, Lewis Rubongoya, revealed that their parties were in talks for a joint candidate ahead of 2021 general elections.
Patrick Oboi Amuriat is holding the FDC’s flag while Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine is carrying NUP’s tickets to challenge President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who has been in power for 35 years.
Birigwa and Rubongoya revelations have left Ugandans asking who among Amuriat and Bobi Wine will withdraw his candidature to back the other. If recent statistics by Research World International are anything to go by, Bobi Wine is far ahead of Amuriat in both popularity and voter appealing.
Opinion polls conducted early March before Corona Virus Disease –Covid19 was confirmed in Uganda, put Bobi Wine at 22 percent while Amuriat was not even near his political mentor, Dr Kizza Besigye, who was standing at 17 percent if elections were held at that time.
Both Bobi Wine and Amuriat have already submitted signatures from 98 districts endorsing their presidential aspirations. The duo is now waiting the Electoral Commission to clear them as they wait for nomination date slated on November 2nd and 3rd.
Retired political icon and Museveni’s challenger in 1996, Dr Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere, recently rallied Opposition politicians to agree and front one candidate in next year’s elections. Dr Ssemwogerere was celebrating an award given to him by Kabaka Ronald Mwenda Mutebi.
Bobi Wine will be Museveni’s biggest rival in the forthcoming elections but Research World International polls indicated that Museveni was still ahead at 47 percent.
Even though that indicates a big drop from 60 percent he got in 2016 elections, Bobi Wine would need backing of people like Dr Besigye, Amuriat and others if he is to cause an upset.
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