KAMPALA — Dr Abed Bwanika, a former presidential candidate has defected from his own party, the People’s Development Party (PDP) to the National Unity Platform headed by President aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
Bwanika who also claims to be part of the Democratic Party’s (DP) block, was unveiled today Thursday at NUP headquarters in Kamwokya alongside 11 Members of Parliament and other leaders from DP.
They included Medard Sseggona, Betty Nambooze, Moses Kasibante, Mathias Mpuuga, Muwanga Kivumbi, Kenneth Paul Kakande, Kigozi Ssajjalabene, Matia Lwanga Bwanika, Mike Mabikke, Allan Ssewanyana and Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaku.
Musician Joseph Mayanja, best known as Jose Chameleon, was among those received by NUP.
The DP block is an alliance of opposition parties; PDP, People Power, Social Development Party (SDP) among others.
Dr Bwanika is however accused my a number of opposition figures of creating distractions for the Opposition and not showing up to actively battle their common opponent.
During the 1996 presidential elections, Dr Bwanika supported President Museveni but switched allegiance to Dr Kizza Besigye in 2001.
He ran as an independent candidate in the February 2006 presidential election, where he finished in fourth place, with 0.95 percent of the vote (65,874 total votes).
He again contested in the February 2011 presidential elections as the candidate of the People’s Development Party, which he founded; he is also the party’s president.
The second-time around, he received about 14,000 fewer votes (51,708 total votes), garnering 0.65 percent of the popular vote.