By Aggrey BabaFormer military officer and political commentator Gen (Rtd) David Sejusa has weighed in on the speakership contest in the 12th Parliament, warning that dismissing the entry of Laroo-Pece MP Nobert Mao would be a serious miscalculation by political observers and even some NRM insiders.Sejusa, who has a long history in Uganda’s political and military landscape, said the race for the speaker’s seat has largely been treated as a debate about personalities rather than the deeper ideological and strategic implications of the office, saying it’s one of the reasons he had avoided talking about it all along.According to him, Mao’s entry into the race brings in two major factors that can’t be ignored. First, Mao comes with a constituency outside of NRM, potentially giving him leverage to influence political calculations.“Who will help NRM consolidate and diminish the opposition space best? The one already in, or the one coming in with a chunk of opposition constituency? Choose for yourself how to answer this,” Sejusa wrote on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.Second, Sejusa highlighted the issue of regional balance, which he described as a critical but overlooked component of Ugandan politics, noting that top government positions are currently dominated by the West and East, while the North lacks representation following former chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo’s recent retirements. In that context, Mao’s candidature introduces a much-needed northern dimension to the leadership structure, according to Sejusa.“Those dismissing Mao’s candidature are poor students of Ugandan history and political algebra,” Sejusa wrote, adding that “things could change, but looking at the current status quo, they must have failed their algebra at school.”While numbers favor the ruling NRM due to its sheer majority, Mao’s entrance in the race, representing an external constituency and northern interests, adds a complexity that could reshape strategies in the next five years, according to Mao.In his view, the speakership contest is not just about who takes the chair, but about who has the influence, regional backing, and political foresight to help consolidate or redefine Uganda’s political landscape.