We won’t be sponges and soap in NRM’s bathroom- NUP Trashes IPOD Again

Butambala member of parliament under the National unity platform ticket, Muwanga Kivumbi has said NUP will never be part of the Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), which he described as a bathroom for the ruling NRM

While appearing on the NBS Morning Breeze on Thursday, Kivumbi, said that NUP will not allow being used like all the other political parties through the IPOD.

“We (NUP) will not be jik, sponge and soap for NRM. IPOD is like a bathroom for NRM and the rest of the political parties are jik, soap and sponge,” Kivumbi said.

Kivumbi said that despite IPOD being in existence for over 10 years, there are no tangible results registered so far and they cannot waste their valuable time to join such an organization adding that the dialogue is useless since opposition cannot be allowed to go the grassroots to mobilize support.

“We are still under state capture, IPOD works in a different environment. The NRM doesn’t believe in this thing called multipartism,” Kivumbi said.

Earlier this month, NUP Secretary-General David Lewis Rubongoya said in a letter that they had taken time to study the discussions that have been held in IPOD and in their assessment; NRM has turned it into a forum in which party principals meet for a cup of tea and photo opportunity.

“Serious discussions about the future of our country have been denied audience within the platform, National Unity Platform is not keen on taking part in an exercise which is used as a facade to legitimize and otherwise illegitimate rule,” Rubongoya said.

He said the NUP will only join the IPOD when their party grievances are addressed by NRM.

IPOD is a dialogue platform that brings together political parties with representation in Parliament for dialogue.

IPOD has facilitated interparty agreements and discussions on areas such as law enforcement and electoral reforms, among several others.

The current five-member parties cycle the chair position between them, ensuring no one party can dominate the dialogue and trust-building processes it oversees.

Since 2018, the IPOD has convened two special dialogue summits for party leaders of Democratic Party, Justice Forum, National Resistance Movement and Uganda Peoples’ Congress, which included President Yoweri Museveni alongside other party leaders.