Laroo-Pece Division MP and former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Norbert Mao has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni for permission to appear before the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) as he intensifies his bid for the speaker of parliament position.
The highly anticipated CEC meeting, scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2026, is expected to shape the ruling party’s final position on candidates for the top parliamentary leadership offices ahead of the new legislative term.
Mao, who is also president general of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), is among several contenders seeking the influential speaker role amid growing political manoeuvring within and outside the ruling party.
Recent speculation suggesting that Mao had withdrawn from the race was dismissed by both the veteran politician and his former campaign manager, George Aligec, who currently serves as his constituency manager.
“Mao is still in the race for the speakership and under the cooperation agreement, Mao is still working hand in hand with NRM, and we expect that cooperation to continue,” Aligec told URN on Wednesday.
Aligec revealed that Mao had formally sought an audience with Museveni and was awaiting clearance to present his case before the ruling party’s top decision-making organ. According to Aligec, Mao hopes to personally persuade CEC members that he is best suited to lead Parliament.
“If the party chairperson sees that it is prudent for him to meet, then he can be able to tell the Central Executive Committee members why he feels it is important for him and the country to have a Speaker like him and his views towards the country,” he said.
However, NRM secretary general Richard Todwong clarified that CEC meetings are strictly reserved for party members and that Mao, being a member of a different political party, cannot attend unless specifically invited by the NRM national chairperson.
“He is not a CEC member; he cannot attend the CEC meeting. That meeting is specifically for CEC members unless the national chairman finds it necessary for him to attend as a guest of CEC. If that happens, it will be communicated to us, but it hasn’t been communicated yet,” Todwong said.
Todwong also disclosed that the ruling party had earlier settled on preferred candidates for speaker and deputy speaker, although he declined to name them, noting that recent political developments had necessitated a fresh review ahead of Friday’s meeting.
“Initially, we recommended two, for the speaker and the deputy speaker. But now, in view of the current developments, there is a CEC meeting on Friday to see whether we should review that. CEC will decide on what to do next,” he said.
He further clarified that the cooperation agreement between NRM and DP does not extend to the sharing of party positions, but is instead centred on governance cooperation and policy support.
According to Todwong, Mao is effectively lobbying for NRM endorsement and should formally communicate his interest to the party leadership.
“He is trying to lobby for NRM support, but that is not my decision. The decision is for the party to make. So, he should express himself in writing, officially, to the NRM party, and maybe then the party can discuss the interest,” he added.
Last month, Mao became the first opposition politician to attend the NRM National Delegates Conference in Kyankwanzi after receiving an invitation from Museveni. However, Todwong maintained that Mao attended in his then capacity as minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs rather than as a DP official.
A week ago, CEC reportedly maintained former speaker Anita Annet Among and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa as the ruling party’s preferred candidates. However, Among reportedly withdrew from the race on Monday following investigations into alleged enrichment and abuse of office said to have been sanctioned by Museveni.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a political pressure group associated with Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba, recently endorsed Defence minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth for speaker and Tayebwa for deputy speaker ahead of the May 25 elections.
