The Secretary-General (SG) of National Resistance Movement (NRM) Justine Kasule Lumumba has clashed with the NRM caucus leaders for not inviting ‘NRM rebel Members of Parliament’ to a retreat in Kyankwanzi without her permission.
Friday is the second day of the weeklong retreat where all NRM legislators are set to discuss party matters. However, the caucus leadership under Bukoli Central MP Solomon Silwanyi refused to invite some honourable members on the basis that they are fighting the party.
On Monday while addressing journalists at the media centre, Silwanyi said only a group of six people will not be allowed at Kyankwanzi because they are against their party.
“These members are always fighting the party at every cost, these are few members so we can do away with them,” said Silwanya.
But on Thursday, Lumumba rejected the move by Silwanyi and his vice chairperson Margaret Muhanga without notifying both the Chief Whip and the SG
“Muhanga and Silwanyi have no authority to refuse a party member from attending the retreat because they don’t possess that power. It’s only the party chairman through the office of SG,” Lumumba said on NTV’s On The Spot.
According to Lumumba, the caucus leadership were supposed to write to the party chief whip, who would then write to her about the misconduct of some party members.
“This is an organised party, and no one is supposed to conduct it as if it’s his or her home. We must follow the procedure, what the members do to go against the party is wrong but its disciplinary committee to decide their fate, not mere members,” she added.
MPs in question include Theodore Ssekikubo from Lwemiyaga, Mbwatekamwa Gafa from Kasambya. Barnabas Tinkasimire from Buyaga West, Kumi Municipality’s Monica Amoding, Manjiya County MP John Baptist Nambeshe and Patrick Oshabe from Kassanda County North.
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