With only five days to presidential nominations, the Justice Forum (JEEMA) has announced they will not front a presidential candidate in the 2026 general elections, citing a shift in focus to local council and parliamentary elections.
Addressing journalists on September 17 at JEEMA headquarters in Mengo, Dr Swaib Kaggwa Nsereko, JEEMA spokesperson, said the decision not to front a presidential candidate comes after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that recently resolved the party will focus on local council and parliamentary elections.
Nsereko noted that JEEMA will instead rally behind and support a vibrant opposition candidate, excluding Museveni, after deeply studying their manifestos to ensure alignment with JEEMA’s pressing agenda on reforms in national fiscal budget priorities, realignment of national moral character, and policies on unemployment, among other concerns.
JEEMA is well-prepared for the 2026 general elections, with dominance in Northern Uganda, specifically the Acholi and Lango sub regions, and the Western, Eastern, and Central regions.
They have registered over 50 MP aspirants across Uganda, calling upon more willing partisans to register and contest with JEEMA.
Since its founding, JEEMA has fronted a presidential candidate twice, in the 1996 and 2001 elections, both times with Muhammad Kibirige Mayanja. Despite Bugiri MP Asuman Basalirwa taking over as party president, JEEMA remains hesitant to contest for the presidency.
According to Julius Mucunguzi, Electoral Commission (EC) spokesperson, presidential nominations will be held on September 23 and 24, after receiving and verifying at least 9,800 signatures of all presidential aspirants.
President Museveni is expected to be nominated on September 23, while the opposition remains silent on their nomination plans.
