Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), leaders have said that they will not move from party but they will continue to fight from within and take the party from those they say are taking it to President Museveni by Mr. Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Mr. Patrick Oboi Amuriat.
“We the undersigned leaders of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), would like to disassociate ourselves with the ongoing sham and fraudulent internal party leadership selection exercise supervised directly by Mr. Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Mr. Patrick Oboi Amuriati,” Mr Semujju Nganda the party spokesperson said during the press conference at Fairway in Kampala.
The leaders urge all FDC members to refrain from participating and prevent these selections from taking place in their respective areas. The ongoing internal leadership selection process controversy stems from allegations that the current internal elections violate a National Executive Committee (NEC) decision made on “June 16th 239th,” which called for a suspension of all internal elections until underlying party issues are resolved.
It was decided that a retreat would be convened to address various concerns, including the alleged influx of questionable funds by Nandala and Amuriat in 2020.
The recent National Council sitting, however, ended inconclusively amidst chaos and violence. The presence of individuals referred to as “kifeesi,” allegedly orchestrated by Nandala and Amuriat, created a hostile environment that hindered meaningful discussions.
“The kifeesi ferried by Mr. Nandala and Amuriat, some from Eastern Uganda and others from Kampala created a hostile environment for delegates to freely deliberate on all issues,” said Semujju.
Amidst the unrest, the FDC National Chairman Ambassador Wasswa Biriggwa took steps to uphold the NEC resolution. In a letter dated “July 4th 2023,” he suspended all electoral processes and structural renewals. The situation worsened as Biriggwa seemingly endorsed the illegal selections in some instances, further escalating the crisis.
“The Chairman, Biriggwa made the matters even worse by casually stating that where these sort of illegal selections had taken place, they would stand and where they did not, efforts should be made to stage them. We dont care how much money has been put in this but we shall fight and deliver the party to the right hands,” Ms Doreen Nyanjura the deputy Kampala City Lord Mayor said.
One of the most contentious issues revolves around the absence of a transparent membership register. Allegations have emerged that Mr. Nandala, who is pushing for the elections, has deliberately limited the issuance of party cards, thereby disenfranchising potential voters and candidates.
The lack of properly trained electoral officials has also raised concerns about the credibility of the ongoing selection process.
“To qualify as a voter and candidate, one must possess a valid party card. After supplying party cards only to his supporters, Nandala stopped issuance of party cards. The intention was to lockout many party members from the electoral exercise,” he said.
Amidst the turmoil, Mr. Bonny Otyama Ogongson, one of the FDC regional electoral commissioners, resigned in protest, citing undue interference from Nandala’s office.
“Amidst this chaos, one of the four FDC regional electoral commissioner Mr. Bonny Otyama Ogongson resigned complaining that staff in Nandala’s office had taken over the electoral exercise and were reversing their decisions.” Hon. Semujju Nganda said.
Mr Mwijukye Francis, the Member of Parliament for Buhweju County assured the public that FDC is not like another party that president Museveni has taken over. He said that the party is deeply rooted.
“We shall do whatever is humanly possible to ensure that Museveni only takes over … Nandala and their cohorts and not the FDC party.” Mr Mwijukye said.
In response to these developments, the concerned FDC leaders have outlined a series of demands.
“We demand that before internal elections are organized; A transparent register of all FDC members be compiled. Compilation of the register must be the first step. The Toterebuka Bamwenda Electoral Commission be disbanded. A new, credible and impartial electoral commission should be instituted,” Semujju said.
As the internal strife continues to rock the FDC, the fate of the party’s leadership remains uncertain. With allegations of manipulation, financial impropriety, and the absence of a fair electoral process, the party faces an uphill battle to restore unity and credibility within its ranks.
