By Mulengera Reporters
Appearing on Baba TV’s morning program, Asuman Basalirwa claimed that in going to Bugiri to campaign for him in 2018, Bobi Wine was paying back an old political debt he had taken from him months earlier.
That as Jema President, Basalirwa had moved his fellow top executive leaders inside the Mengo-based party to come up with a solidarity statement endorsing Bobi Wine for the Kyadondo East MP Seat after bigger parties like FDC and DP had all turned their back on and disregarded him in favour of other candidates.
Basalirwa says they went ahead to drive to Kyadondo (himself, Kibirige Mayanja and others) to physically be there and campaign for Bobi Wine who went on to win. He adds that when Bugiri came up, it was prudent for Kyagulanyi to reciprocate by campaigning for him too.
Basalirwa, who is sure of re-election victory inspite of Kyagulanyi hostility and against a NUP-sponsored candidate, says there are other things he too did again to show personal favour for Kyagulanyi including joining Medard Segona to serve as his defense lawyer in the Arua case, which saw him charged with treason in the Gulu Court.
Asuman Basalirwa says that when Bobi Wine became consumed by the project to stand for Presidency in 2021, he got so busy and skipped many sittings at Parliament. That the NRM and State House had already become nervous about his growing popularity and planned to cripple Kyagulanyi. That they checked the record and it was clear Kyagulanyi had missed more than 15 consecutive sittings.
This qualified him to be dismissed from Parliament where he was sitting as the MP for Kyadondo East. Pressure was mounted on Rebecca Kadaga who was the Speaker at that time to commence the processes to have him forced out the way it had been done earlier on to get rid of Gen David Tinyefuza Sejusa and Henry Tumukunde after they opposed life presidency and castigated Gen Museveni for seeking to rule for life.
Basalirwa says that he was the first one to get that intel and confided in Kyagulanyi who naturally became nervous about the impending loss of a job.
“I told him not to worry and I engaged Mama Kadaga who offered to help out even when that was going to annoy her own party. She said bring him to my office. And I took my brother Honourable Kyagulanyi to her office as Speaker. It was the three of us and she agreed to help out and she indeed kept her word.”
Basalirwa says that’s how Kadaga saved Kyagulanyi from the emotional distress and disorganization that would naturally result from losing his MP Seat. He says that he is grateful that, much as Kyagulanyi has forgotten and resorted to throwing under the bus people who one time where there for him, he at least hasn’t forgotten the role Kadaga played that time.
He says that he believes this is why Mr. Wine recently while in Kamuli campaigned for Kadaga for a second time even when NUP has a flag bearer for the position of Kamuli Woman MP. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
