Arua Central Division parliamentary candidate Kassiano Wadri Ezati has refuted allegations that he betrayed Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) by running as an independent.
In 2018, Wadri ran as an independent in the Arua Municipality by-election and secured a win, partly due to the support and campaigning efforts of Kyagulanyi. Wadri later lost the seat in the 2021 general election as a candidate for the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).
Wadri, who is now seeking to regain the seat under the ANT banner, acknowledged the public disappointment and accusations of betrayal over his decision not to contest under Kyagulanyi’s NUP party.
Addressing a campaign rally in Bazaar Ward, Wadri clarified that the timeline of party formations and his existing commitments prevented him from joining NUP. He emphasised that during his 2018 campaign, “People Power” was merely a pressure group, not a registered political party.
He noted that the ANT was officially registered in April 2019, followed by the NUP in August 2019, by which time he was already an ANT member. He also pointed out that the People Power movement in 2018 received support from a cross-section of politicians across different parties.
“When I came to contest here, my friends from different political parties offered me support,” Wadri stated. “These included people from FDC, DP, even NRM, and people like [Erias] Lubega, [Michael] Mabikke, [Sulaiman] Lubowa, [Betty] Sebufu, [Mugisha] Muntu, [Alice] Alaso and even NRM’s late Kassiano Acidri.”
Speaking at the joint ANT rally in Arua City, the party’s candidate for Arua Central District mayor, Nezma Ocokoru, echoed Wadri’s sentiments, asserting there has been no fallout with Kyagulanyi and that the opposition parties continue to collaborate.
“We don’t have hatred among ourselves in the opposition, and if we decide to have a particular leader, we just vote for the person, and no one can intimidate us because we are ready and have decided on our leaders,” Ocokoru said.
The situation suggests that in Arua, voters may prioritize a candidate’s individual merit and character over strict political party affiliation. Luisa Avibaku, a registered voter, commented that she consistently votes for individuals rather than parties, a practice she plans to continue.
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