The much-anticipated announcement for the joint opposition flag bearer of The Democratic Alliance has been delayed yet again, raising the tempo as the summit members continue holding incessant meetings.
Addressing journalists, the TDA official spokesperson Wafula Oguttu said that the recall of Parliament had affected their schedule but hastened to add that the summit would reach consensus on the official candidate.
“We have postponed the meeting because some of the participants of the whole process are Members of Parliament and we need to attend the parliamentary session then the discussions will resume,” he said.
The contenders for the TDA ticket FDC flag bearer Dr Kiiza Besigye, Democratic Party’s Norbert Mao, Professor Gilbert Bukenya and NRM leaning Independent Amama Mbabazi.
However, it seems that the battle has zeroed down to Dr Besigye and Amama Mbabazi, with the each of them trying to convince the summit that they are the most suitable to lead the opposition in defeating President Museveni.
According to Mbabazi, he has been a close associate of President Museveni and he thinks with this, he can give President Museveni a run for his money. Mbabazi also reasons that having been the Secretary General of the NRM, he built structures for the party and traversed the country, something that made him popular. With this background, Mbabazi says that the TDA summit should consider him best suited for the position.
Besigye on the other hand argues that he is the one best suited to oust a regime that is unwilling to hand over power in a free and fair election. It is against this background that Besigye is calling for electoral reforms before the election.
Besigye also contends that he has distinguished himself as the most powerful opposition leader with the highest capacity to defeat President Museveni.
Some of the people who are fronting Mbabazi also reason that Besigye has contested and lost thrice against President Museveni and therefore, people would be happier to see a new face in the campaign.
They argue that Mbabazi is a better candidate because of his ‘connections with many senior National Resistance Movement (NRM) members and other people in security and UPDF’.
“The vote that he brings from the Movement to opposition works in his favor of him,” one of his enthusiasts in the TDA summit said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, another summit source says they have not yet come up with a harmonized position, but hastens to add that there is a suggestion to have both Dr Besigye and Amama Mbabazi on the ballot paper come 2016.
TDA was formed a few months ago with the aim of fronting a joint candidate in the opposition to run against President Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 Presidential elections.
However, it now seems difficult for the Alliance to reach the consensus, with both contestants reluctant to cede ground.
