The National Unity Platform (NUP) has come under heavy public scrutiny after it backtracked on it’s years boycott of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) and has now moved to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to join IPOD.
In statement released on Wednesday, the party noted that the decision followed amendments to the Political Parties and Organisations Act that made membership in either IPOD or the Forum for Non-Represented Political Parties mandatory for all registered political parties.
“As we await the decision of the Constitutional Court, the National Unity Platform has decided to sign the current Memorandum of Understanding since it is already a member of the applicable constitutive organ by conscription of the law,” the party stated.
NUP further noted that it had filed a petition before the Constitutional Court challenging the content and process by which the amendment was made without consultation from any political party in the country.
“No political party was consulted in amending this law, and everyone could see that it was meant to target the National Unity Platform. Already, the Electoral Commission is using this law to discriminate against and cripple the operations of the National Unity Platform!” the statement reads.
The development follows a May 2025 amendment to the Political Parties and Organisations Act, which introduced new requirements for political party participation in state funding mechanisms.
The amendment, spearheaded by Napak District Woman MP Faith Nakut, made it mandatory for political parties with representation in Parliament to join IPOD if they wish to access government funding.
The Bill received unanimous support from the NRM caucus during a meeting chaired by President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe.
Under the new framework, the National Consultative Forum (NCF) now hosts two key organs — the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) for represented parties and the Forum for Non-Represented Political Parties and Organisations for smaller, unrepresented entities.
