IPOD to lose funding if NUP, FDC don't join it, government warned

The NIMD said in a statement dated September 21, 2022 it will “reassess its involvement” in IPOD unless Uganda’s largest opposition parties join it.

“Now that the National Unity Platform (NUP), Uganda’s biggest opposition party has indicated that they will not sign up to the revised 2022 IPOD Memorandum of Understanding, and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is hesitant to sign up,” the statement continues.

NIMD says it has supported IPOD since 2010, noting that all political parties represented in Parliament have participated in IPOD, save for FDC and NUP.

NIMD says that IPOD can only work for democracy if all legislative parties are involved its operations.

“For NIMD, inclusivity is a prerequisite for effective dialogue. We believe that a dialogue process can only work when all political parties in Parliament commit to speaking and listening to each other as they deal with the many challenges in their country, with respect for differences in viewpoints between various parties,” the statement went on.

NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya says NUP will not join IPOD until certain issues are resolved.

“We will not join IPOD until the issues stated by us are resolved. They [the NRM government] should stop kidnapping individuals, let the opposition parties do their business without interference, and elections should be respected,” Rubongoya said.

FDC party spokesperson, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, applauded NIMD’s decision, saying that should have happened earlier.

According to Emmanuel Dombo of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, says no party can be made to join IPOD under duress, so NIMD should redress its decision.