National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) has refuted claims that his party received funding from the Inter-Party Organisation for Democracy (IPOD). On Thursday Democratic Party President (DP), Nobert Mao made a claim through social media that NUP was one of the beneficiaries of funding from IPOD, an organization it refused to join.
“Thanks to the useless photo opportunities, tea drinking and bootlicking by some of us in @IPOD_UG many kidnapped, arrested & tortured activists were released. In addition funding to parties with MPs was more than tripled. Some eat meat. Others eat sou,” Mao wrote, attaching a paper that shows that NUP had been given 3.1bn, while NRM got 17. Bn, 1.7bn for FDC and 485m for DP.
Kyagulanyi has, however, dismissed the claims, “NUP would like to reiterate once again that it is not part of the IPOD arrangement and has never received any funding or support from that platform,” reads the statement in part.
“The party is funded by its elected Members of Parliament, donations and disbursements allocated by Parliament to all political parties with representation in Parliament,”
“The regime and its tools have always tried to cluster this funding as IPOD money which they know is false. IPOD is a loose arrangement with no basis in the laws of Uganda. Like we said recently, it has been hijacked by Museveni to enforce his despotic will. We deliberately decided to forego all the opportunities and resources it extends to its members for the sake of our principles and values that we represent,” Kyagulanyi says in the statement
A week or so ago, President Museveni suggested that parties that are not in IPOD stop getting any funding.
