Democratic Party president general Norbert Mao has revealed that he was prepared to resign from Parliament if he failed to secure at least ten votes in the race for Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament, describing his candidacy as a fight driven by principle rather than political numbers.
Mao made the revelation in a statement shared on X shortly after Monday’s highly anticipated Speaker election held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, where Members of Parliament voted to choose the new leadership of the House.
The veteran opposition politician admitted he entered the race fully aware that the ruling National Resistance Movement possessed overwhelming numerical strength, making victory almost impossible for any opposition-backed candidate.
Despite those odds, Mao said he deliberately chose to participate because he believed the contest represented something bigger than simply winning the Speaker’s seat.
According to Mao, one legislator quietly warned him during the vote counting process that strict party loyalty within Parliament would likely limit him to fewer than ten votes in the final tally.
In response, Mao said he boldly staked his parliamentary future on the outcome by declaring that he would resign from Parliament entirely if he failed to secure double-digit support.
“When the counting started, one MP told me that due to strict partisan voting I would be lucky to get ten votes,” Mao wrote in his statement while reflecting on the tense atmosphere surrounding the election.
He further disclosed that he immediately responded by telling the legislator that if he received fewer than ten votes, he would vacate his parliamentary seat as a matter of political honor and personal conviction.
When the final results were announced, Mao managed to secure 15 votes, narrowly escaping the political embarrassment he had personally attached to the symbolic threshold he had set for himself.
The election ultimately ended in a landslide victory for Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth, the ruling NRM candidate, who secured 441 votes to become Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament.
National Unity Platform candidate Paul Mwiru finished second with 60 votes, while Mao came third in the race that attracted national attention due to growing public debate over parliamentary leadership.
Mao said many political allies and friends had advised him against contesting, warning that the humiliating numerical disadvantage could damage both his image and the standing of the Democratic Party.
However, he insisted that abandoning the race would have amounted to surrendering important national conversations about accountability, leadership and the direction Parliament should take moving forward.
“Many counseled me to throw in the towel fearing the outcome of the ballot,” Mao explained, adding that his decision to remain in the race was intended to challenge political fear and conformity.
He argued that his campaign was not designed around arithmetic but around morality, saying the contest represented a broader stand against what he described as silence and cowardice within political spaces.
Mao also claimed that his participation helped ignite national conversations surrounding Parliament’s damaged public image following months of corruption allegations and controversies linked to the outgoing House leadership.
He maintained that despite receiving relatively few votes, his candidacy forced uncomfortable but necessary discussions about institutional reform and public trust in Parliament.
“We took up a fight everyone was cowering from,” Mao stated, while also accusing some of his critics and former allies of prioritizing short-term political calculations over long-term democratic values.
The DP leader further declared that public outrage and pressure from ordinary citizens had helped create momentum for change within Parliament, which he believes desperately needs institutional renewal.
As Uganda begins a new parliamentary term under fresh leadership, Mao’s dramatic remarks and symbolic gamble have added another layer to the ongoing national debate about courage, opposition politics and the future credibility of Parliament.
