Presidential Advisor on Media Joseph Tamale Mirundi says the meeting between Museveni and Amama Mbabazi is part of a succession deal to consolidate power among NRM ‘historicals.’
In an exclusive interview with sabasaba at his home in Zanna where he is slowly recovering from a controversial illness he suffered last month and almost took his life, Mirundi said Museveni is an isolated man, and reaching out to historicals like Mbabazi to save his government.
Mirundi says the deal to bring back into NRM Hon. Mbabazi is timely, and meant to prevent political power from slipping through the hands of freedom fighters.
On the eve of New Years day, Museveni held a secret meeting with Amama Mbabazi at his country home in Kisozi. The meeting sparked speculation that the former Prime Minister could be set to bounce back into government.
Mirundi said the deal favors Museveni who he says ‘urgently’ needs the advice from NRM historicals like Mbabazi more than before, lest he lose power to the aggressive mafia group within his government. He says Museveni’s power is in great danger, and Mbabazi is the man who can fix it for NRM’s posterity.
“Museveni is vulnerable and he needs Mbabazi more than ever before. Mbabazi is the one who can counsel him and he listens. He is also a better candidate to succeed Museveni if power is to be consolidated among freedom fighters” He said.
Mirundi says Museveni has no option but to reconcile with John Patrick Amama Mbabazi and other bush war comrades like Amanya Mushega, or end up like Gaddafi. According to Mirundi, power from Museveni would be safe in Mbabazi’s hands than being “grabbed by the mafia.”
“Museveni must choose between handing over power to the likes of Mbabazi, or be humiliated by the powerful mafia group. He is currently isolated and in danger! He urgently needs counsel from freedom fighters like Mbabazi” he said.
He says a reconciliation between Museveni and Amama Mbabazi should be applauded, because it gets Museveni out of isolation, and it will help the NRM historical group reclaim power. He says Mbabazi was a loyal cadre whose aspirations were frustrated by the power hungry mafia.
He however blames Museveni for isolating his former comrades who happened to be committed cadres, and entrusting state power to a group of mafias who do not care about the ideology and posterity of NRM. He said the mafia threaten not only Museveni’s power, but his (Museveni’s) life too.
Mirundi says Uganda missed the opportunity to have a political party of freedom fighters when Museveni isolated bush war heroes, and opted to work with people who lack the ideology of NRM but only money-minded. He did not rule out a possibility of a mass uprising if the current state of affairs is not fixed.