By Joseph Kiggundu
The Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) has insisted that National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine ,currently in self imposed exile must attend the forthcoming IPOD summit in person if his party is get admitted in the organization.
In a letter to NUP dated September 15, 2026, and received by the party the following day, the IPOD secretariat said preparations for the opposition party’s admission were in their final stages.
The secretariat asked NUP to prepare Kyagulanyi to attend the summit in person, where he is expected to address other party leaders as the party is formally admitted into the organisation.
The requirement has triggered debate within NUP and among political scholars, particularly over whether IPOD should insist on the physical presence of the party president, who is currently outside Uganda.
According to political analyst Dr Lawrence Sserwambala, Kyagulanyi’s attendance is necessary because he is the elected leader of NUP.
“It must be Kyagulanyi in person because he is the elected leader. This is what the summit members agreed on. Nothing can change unless the summit changes this,” Sserwambala said.
The position, however, has not gone down well with NUP, which says it will not comply with the condition.
NUP Deputy Secretary General Aisha Kabanda said the party has other senior leaders who can represent Kyagulanyi at the summit.
“He cannot be present in person. We have persons who have occupied that office,” Kabanda said.
NUP National Coordinator Habib Buwembo said the party would send Acting President John Baptist Nambeshe to the summit when it convenes.
“The Acting President, John Baptist Nambeshe, will go to the summit when it convenes. If they bounce him, the whole world will know that NUP is a law-abiding party,” Buwembo said.
Kyagulanyi left Uganda after the January 2026 general elections and has remained outside the country. NUP has maintained that his absence is linked to security concerns. The party’s website continues to list him as its president.
In July, Kyagulanyi appointed John Baptist Nambeshe as acting party president, taking over from Dr Lina Zedriga Waru, who had served in the role for four months.
IPOD Executive Director Dr Lawrence Sserwambala said the organisation was not attempting to pressure NUP, arguing that the requirement is contained in the organisation’s governing framework.
“We are not arm-twisting them. This is a requirement by the IPOD Memorandum of Understanding,” Sserwambala said.
However, political scholar Dr Daniel Walyemera argues that IPOD could consider an exception if the party leader is unable to attend the summit in person.
Walyemera points to earlier IPOD practice, including the organisation’s first summit, where party leaders and representatives participated in the proceedings.
“IPOD should create an exception to allow Kyagulanyi to be represented, given the circumstances. The purpose of the organisation is to promote dialogue among political parties,” Walyemera said.
The disagreement now leaves NUP’s admission process facing a question over whether the requirement for the physical attendance of its president will be maintained or whether IPOD will accept representation by another senior party of