Kizza Besigye who is squatting in Luzira prison facing treason charges, Erias Lukwago, Proscovia Salaamu Musumba and Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the ‘new’ political honchos, or rather recycled into another political party, having failed to evict their nemeses from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), have finally settled for less. They even wanted to grab FDC headquarters, take over its bank accounts and wound it up through a court order but failed on that mission too. They are bad losers who will not publicly admit.

Having sounded so ballistic, vowed but miserably failed to evict Patrick Oboi Amuriat, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, and Geoffrey Ekanya, President, Secretary General, and Treasurer General respectively from the shell that FDC is today, over the so-called ‘dirty money’, they begrudgingly opted to found a new political party they have christened, the Peoples’ Front for Freedom (PFF) whose symbol is the button telephone handset. Their collective ingenuity for this telephone as a symbol surely ought to be applauded, only when they are not leading Uganda.

Besigye, the political constant in the ever-changing political rollercoaster in what has been a virulent opposition since September 1999, has hit speed bumps as many leaders, lured into his formations abandon ship as fast as they came when discover the ploy. The list is really long, but suffice to mention Amanya Mushega, Mugisha Muntu, David Pulkol, Miria Matembe, Beti Olive Kamya, Prof. Morris Ogenga Latigo, Beatrice Anywar, Anita Among, Thomas Tayebwa, Garuga Musinguzi, Alice Alasu Asianut, Winne Kizza, Ezati Kasiano Wadri, Ronald Reagan Okumu, Abdu Katuntu, and Elija Okupa among others. It is a graveyard of sorts. Many of these, including Maj. John Bashaija Kazzora (RIP), after weighing mainly their interests against Besigye’s leadership persona, decided to cut their loss with some abandoning active politics altogether.

Reform Agenda, Forum for Democratic Change, and now Peoples’ Front for Freedom, although keep refreshing its autography, in many ways remains the same, a charade in character. As Shakespeare wrote centuries ago, a rose by any name smells as good, except in this case, it has not been a rose. It is important that we keep telling the country what damage they can visit if our political guards were to be lowered.

In business terms, it has been more like a bankrupt or tax dodger who changes the name of his entity each time their lenders or taxman close in. Their collective appetite for bravado, instigate altercations, drama and bedlam for self-indulgence is repolished as political chattels for survival and continuity. Through this, Ssemujju and Lukwago might keep their seats and earnings from a government they so much cleverly despise and portray for bogeyman. But whatever the trickery, PFF and its politicians may not be stillbirth like The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), but are clearly on life support because they are unlikely to expand that much in the country.

Examining the political and social contours of PFF, it is nor far-fetched to see that it is going to squeeze with the errand men and women from the National Unity Platform (NUP), and Mathias Mpuuga’s Democratic Alliance (DA) mainly in Buganda as they seek supremacy along ethnic chauvinism. With NRM still going up, it appears that it is going to attract migration of politicians like Ojara Mapenduzi, Anthony Akol, Twaha Kagabo of every stripe leaving so few for FDC, PFF or even NUP.

Of course, in justifying their inabilities to make a deep political imprint countrywide and in the forthcoming elections, Besigye’s political entourage is destined to wholly place blame on NRM, and particularly President Yoweri Museveni and the state machinery rather than their own poor strategy and leadership.