The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga has said that is ready to resign from his political positions if Daily Monitor comes out with pieces of evidence pinning him to have negotiated with President Yoweri Museveni to release legislator; Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) and Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West).
While speaking to CBS FM on Thursday, furious Mpuuga noted that there is a group of people whose intention is to see that the opposition is dismantled and they are fueling the masses with lies as a way of tarnishing the image of the opposition.
He revealed that he wants the masses to always task such people to table shreds of evidence of their utterances. He then alluded that he is more than ready to surrender all his positions of leadership if those behind the move of tarnishing his name can table pieces of evidence.
Mpuuga’s move follows a story by Daily Monitor published on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, showing that the leaders of Parliament; Speaker Anita Among and her Deputy Thomas Tayebwa as well as Mpuuga met President Museveni to see that the jailed MPs are set free.
“Our investigations reveal a complex web of secret talks powered by Parliament’s top leadership and in which the Leader of Opposition played a key role reportedly outside Bobi Wine’s purview, leading to a deal-making meeting last month between the accused lawmakers and a senior government executive, expected to soon result in the freedom of National Unity Platform party supporters being tried by the army court…
Mr Mpuuga, who by some accounts has been deeply involved in the secret talks but reportedly without the direct blessing or endorsement of his party’s top leadership including NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, yesterday downplayed his role and said there was no secret deal-making,” reads part of the story.
It’s from this point that Mpuuga through his lawyers Lukwago and Com Advocates issued a notice of intention to sue Monitor Publications Ltd (MPL) over a defamatory story showing how Mpuuga spearheaded negotiations with the government to free the MPs without the knowledge of his party (National Unity Platform) leaders.
Mpuuga demands Daily Monitor retract the story and issue an apology to him on the same.
“TAKE NOTICE THAT, by reason of the said defamatory publication, our client who has at all material times been a highly respected person, whose record in public service is beyond reproach, has been greatly injured in his credit, reputation and generally subjected to untold psychological torture,” the notice reads in part.
Mpuuga also demands that the Monitor Newspaper pays him shs200,000,000 in compensation for the damages caused, the failure of which will lead to legal proceedings against the publication.
“Our client demands that you apologize to him and retract the said fallacious and malicious publication in your Newspaper and in the same way highlight it as you published the defamatory story and pay damages of Shs200 000 000. (Two hundred Million Shillings) with 10 per cent thereof on account of costs.”
“Should you fail to comply within Seven (7) days from the date hereof, we shall have no option but to commence legal proceedings against you to your detriment.”
Currently, Daily Monitor has not yet responded.
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