By Aggrey Baba
MP Theodore Ssekikubo, the firebrand legislator who recently lost his NRM flag for Lwemiyaga County, has become the hottest political commodity on the market, with the Democratic Party (DP) openly declaring that it is ready to hand him its ticket for the 2026 elections.
DP Vice President Fred Mukasa Mbidde, according to last week’s Weekend Vision, revealed that his party is eager to absorb the embattled MP, who was officially knocked out of NRM after the July 17 primaries that handed victory to Brig. Gen (Rtd) Emmanuel Rwashande. Mbidde even said that he was prepared to deliver the DP ticket to Ssekikubo “anywhere, even at the highest tree in Lwemiyaga.”
Political watchers now, say Ssekikubo has suddenly become a hot cake for the opposition because of his track record as one of the most fearless and unrelenting critics of the NRM, despite being one of its own for over two decades. For 25 years, he carried the yellow flag in Lwemiyaga, but unlike many party loyalists who chose silence, he never hesitated to bite the hand that fed him whenever the party went astray.
In Parliament, he consistently opposed controversial bills, challenged executive excesses, and openly criticized what he called the militarisation of politics, positioning himself as a defender of ordinary farmers and traders in his constituency, often warning that NRM risked abandoning the very people it once championed.
That streak of outspokenness often landed him in hot water. He has previously been arrested during heated political disputes, clashed with security agencies, and even survived gunfire on two occasions, a brave heart never fears a bleeding nose, an African proverb goes, and those who know his political journey say Ssekikubo has thrived in controversy, building his entire brand on defying authority both inside and outside the yellow tent.
The recent NRM primaries marked his biggest setback yet, because in a contest that drew five candidates, Ssekikubo lost badly to Rwashande, who polled 16,358 votes against his 8,702. His attempts to challenge the outcome collapsed after the tribunal, earlier this week dismissed his petition, ruling that there was no conclusive proof of the alleged voter intimidation, military interference, and tampering with telecom networks, a ruling which not only confirmed Rwashande as the flag bearer but also ended Ssekikubo’s 25-year grip on the NRM ticket.
Many now, argue that this decision was the final nail in the coffin of a long and stormy relationship between him and the ruling establishment.
It is this fallout that has made him suddenly attractive to opposition forces. For the green camp, the move is both symbolic and strategic, as the party has for long struggled to break into greater Sembabule, a region dominated by NRM, and having Ssekikubo on its side would instantly give it visibility and credibility in the area.
Beyond the regional numbers, however, lies his national appeal, since for years, Ssekikubo’s sharp parliamentary interventions have made him a household name, his bluntness winning him admirers even across the opposition benches.
By fully stepping outside the yellow bus, he would bring both experience and firepower to whichever political platform he chooses, and if he accepts DP’s offer, Ssekikubo will once again face Brig. Gen. Rwashande in the 2026 elections, but this time as an opposition candidate, a contest is already shaping up to be one of the most closely followed in the region, given the high-profile nature of both men (one representing the new breed of military-aligned politicians, and the other a battle-hardened survivor of Uganda’s rough-and-tumble politics).
Whether this marks the dawn of a new chapter or the twilight of his career, one fact remains that Ssekikubo is not a man who bows out quietly. And like a cat with nine lives, he has survived storms before and lived to fight another day. For DP and the wider opposition, winning him over would not just be about adding a candidate, but a statement that one of NRM’s loudest internal critics has finally crossed the fence.
