Buyaga West legislator, Barnabas Tinkasiimire, has declared that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has already decided to nominate President Museveni for the upcoming 2026 Presidential elections.
During an appearance on NBS Television’s Morning Breeze, Tinkasiimire said there is no need for the ruling party to search for a presidential candidate, as Museveni is already the chosen one.
“We, as NRM, have unanimously agreed that President Kaguta Museveni will become our flag bearer in 2026 and beyond. What soul-searching do you want us to do?” he said on Monday.
Tinkasiimire, dismissed any notion that Museveni could be defeated by the opposition, describing the current president as a “heavyweight candidate.”
“Whether the Opposition has a credible candidate or not, we in NRM have a heavyweight candidate (Museveni) He is much better than whoever he has ever stood against,” Tinkasiimire remarked.
His comments come just months before the nation gears up for the 2026 general elections.
Following the recent NRM defeat to the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Kawempe North by-election, there has been speculation about whether the ruling party is losing its hold on power.
In that election, NRM’s Faridah Nambi lost to NUP’s Elias Nalukoola, with the latter securing 17,939 votes compared to Nambi’s 9,058.
It’s also important to note that in the 2021 general elections, the NRM faced significant losses in many areas of Kampala, raising concerns about the party’s popularity in the central region.
Tinkasiimire acknowledged that it is normal for the NRM to experience fluctuations in popularity, stating that the party must accept this reality.
“We (NRM) must accept that in some areas, we are very popular, and in others, we aren’t. That’s politics.” he said.
Museveni emerged victorious in the 2021 election, garnering 5.85 million votes, which accounted for 58.64% of the total votes cast.
His main opponent, Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine from the National Unity Platform (NUP), received 3.48 million votes, or 34.83%.
It remains a question on who will prevail in the 2026 elections should both candidates appear on the ballot again.
