The National Unity Platform (NUP) has formally petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC), claiming the party is being illegally left out of important discussions about the National Consultative Forum (NCF) and its organs. In a letter dated September 17, 2025, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya told EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byamukama that the party has repeatedly raised concerns about being sidelined in national political engagements.
Rubongoya referred to an earlier letter sent on September 4, 2025, to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, copied to the EC, in which NUP protested against its exclusion from talks on the NCF and its key organs, including the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD). The NCF, established under the Political Parties and Organisations Act of 2005, serves as a platform for registered political parties to share ideas, build consensus, and discuss national issues.
Originally, participation in IPOD was voluntary, structured as a company limited by guarantee. But Parliament recently amended the law to make IPOD a formal organ of the NCF. NUP has criticized this move, calling it rushed and lacking proper consultation with stakeholders. Rubongoya stated, “We protest the spirit and manner by which the amendment was passed and are challenging it in court. However, we recognize that it is the current law until legally overturned.”
NUP also expressed frustration at receiving no response to earlier letters protesting its exclusion from discussions related to the new law. The situation escalated when the party learned about an IPOD summit scheduled for September 18, 2025, which was set to discuss issues arising from the amendment. Rubongoya said, “We have now been made aware that a summit of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue has been invited to discuss matters related to the amended law. Yet again, the National Unity Platform is being illegally excluded from these discussions.”
The party insists that ongoing IPOD meetings are unlawful because the body’s legal status changed with the recent amendment, and excluding NUP undermines the principles of fair participation and national dialogue.
