FDC, JEEMA youth leaders disagree on Eyeru’s planned mobilisation city tours

Kampala | The youth league leaders of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Justice Forum (JEEMA) parties have condemned what they call “unscrupulous manipulation of youths in partisan projects.”

Adepo Francis, FDC, and Haroona Musanje, JEEMA, spoke to the press on Wednesday at Najjanankumbi in response to Jacob Eyeru’s letter to the Inspector General of Police requesting clearance.

Eyeru is the chairperson of the National Youth Council and the leader of the Yellow Youth Movement.

In a letter to the IGP dated May 31, Eyeru announced YYM’s planned mobilisation tours to four cities across the country.

They plan to begin with Mbarara City on June 6 and then move on to Gulu City on June 22.

“All along, the youths have been keenly following the activities of the Chairperson of the National Youth Council (NYC), Mr. Eyeru Jacob and his clique. Last week, our attention was drawn to a letter by the said Chairperson to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) notifying him of the planned activities in June and July 2024 by members of the NRM Youth League under the Yellow Youth Movement (YYM) Initiative….,” Adepo and Haroona said in a joint statement.

The “sole objective of the YYM Initiative”, the duo said is “to support the leadership and maintaining the candidature of President Museveni as President of Uganda in 2026 using MZEI TULUMBE 2026 campaign moreover on NYC Letterhead.”

“It should be recalled that this YYM Initiative was launched by the same Jacob Eyeru and group with one intention of praising Mr. Museveni and the NRM Party.

“As youth leaders, we want to remind Mr. Eyeru that the National Youth Council of Uganda by law is not a branch of NRM, and therefore must operate impartially while serving the interests of all young people in Uganda, most of whom hate NRM.

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“We also draw his mind to the core objectives of NYC which include; to organise the youth of Uganda as a unified body, to engage the youth in productive activities that benefits all, and to protect the youth against any kind of manipulation among others.

“We are concerned because NYC receives tax payers’ money and therefore the Chairperson can’t be involved in such bogus activities of praising an old man that the youth are tired of. YYM must therefore stop pedalling and spreading lies that Mr. Museveni can still manage to run this country effectively.”

According to the leaders, Museveni must instead retire honourably before 2025. “For over 40 years in power now, it should be his (Museveni) achievements speaking for himself, and not mobilising the young people who are swimming in poverty, rotting in jail and unemployment to mobilise support for his candidature in the wake of corruption of his government.

“The country must now focus on having a serious political transition which is not a monarchy, but with very serious competent leaders with high quality leadership skills and morals which are desirable and acceptable in our society.”

The two youth leaders have called on all young people across the country to resist what they called “nonsense of YYM, MZEI TULUMBE 2026, MK Project under PLU, JAJA OMALAKO and MZEE TOVA KU MAIN activities at the expense of their wellbeing.”

“It is time to stand up as the youths and be counted. Those taking advantage of the struggling youths to unscrupulously manipulate them in such activities of maintaining the old man in power instead of focusing on their (youths) welfare should be warned!”

Both Adepo and Haroona have stated that they are demanding a public apology from Jacob Eyeru and his YYM clique to Uganda’s young people for disrespecting and betraying their generation by telling them to support President Museveni.

They said that 80-year-old President Museveni had let this nation down. “We have given him (Eyeru) five working days to apologise.”