The mighty Ono Bwino can exclusively report that it was not a mistake for top leadership of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), a political pressure group led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to personally attend and campaign for Erias Nalukoola Luyimbazi the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate in the just concluded Kawempe North by elections.
Highly placed sources at PFF headquarters at Nakasero a Kampala city suburb have revealed that the pressure group took a decision to support NUP upon realising that Mathias Mpuuga’s Democratic Alliance (DA), which is also a political pressure group and other questionable opposition politicians had hijacked their favoured candidate a one Mahmood Mutazindwa alias ‘Sweet Cake’ and had already started campaigning for him.
“You remember very well at the burial of the late Muhammad Ssegirinya who was the area legislator, the Lord Mayor was very clear when he asked the opposition to use the by election to rally all their colleagues in the entire opposition to join forces and use it as a preparation ground for the 2026 protest vote against Gen Museveni’s government,” a PFF source told Ono Bwino.
He added, “After placing all candidates on a weighing scale, we realised that supporting Mutazindwa even though he attends our public functions was suicidal because we have information that most of the people sorounding him pick money from Gen Museveni to facilitate their political activities in Kampala especially in Lubaga Division.”
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He added that they established that the reason why Mpuuga’s DA was behind Mutazindwa was because they were very sure that Lukwago and other PFF leadership including Wasswa Birigwa, Harold Kaija were going to join them so that they can put up a strong political force against NUP’s Nalukoola and embarrass NUP principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine).
He added that Lukwago’s decision to support Nalukoola surprised Mpuuga’s DA leaders since they were very sure that Lukwago was not going to stand on the same platform with NUP leadership who are fronting Nakawa East legislator Ronald Balimwezo to contest against him come 2026.
He disclosed that the reason why Kaija also attended and campaigned for Nalukoola was because he thinks that Bobi Wine will support him and not front a candidate to contest against him in Nansana Municipality come 2026.
“All those people you hear in WhatsApp groups saying Lukwago and other PFF leaders’ are traitors are paid to voice out the DA’s flopped plan. There is no sensible politician who can work with Mpuuga and his friends like Samuel Lubega Mukaku, Mike Mabikke, Henry Lubowa because of their double standard methods which they use in playing their politics. Everyone knows they are working with Gen Museveni’s government,” the source revealed.
However, Lukwago distanced himself from Mutazindwa explaining that PFF top leadership was never informed about his plans to contest in Kawempe North and the fact that they did not have a candidate in the race was reasonable enough for them to support Nalukoola who was endorsed by the majority of genuine opposition members in the country including the Alliance For National Transition (ANT) who were also on ground campaigning for him.
He added that Mutazindwa chose a bicycle as his ballot symbol knowing very well that PFF uses a telephone as their political symbol. He argued that this also confirmed that he was not their candidate.
“There was no way we would not support Nalukoola. I personally groomed that boy in the fight for Rule of Law and we have been together every day in the Court Martial fighting as lawyers for the freedom of Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obed Lutale, so where is the betrayal that those people who are claiming to be PFF leaders and supporters are talking,” Lukwago said.
He denied allegation that he campaigned for the NUP candidate to compromise NUP not to front a candidate against him come 2026 explaining that in all the elections he has participated in, he has been contesting against candidates fronted by other oppositions parties and he has always defeated them badly.
He bragged that he is ready to face those standing in his way come 2026 because voters in Kampala know how important his presence is in the city.
He further explained that Bobi Wine and the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi were on the frontline during the fight against the illegal detention of Dr Besigye and Lutale to the extent that they organised prayers at their headquarters and meetings in the office of the Leader of Opposition in parliament to discuss how to save Besigye yet people like Mukaku were not seen anywhere.
