Big Story: FDC Fighting For Its Life As Museveni Infiltrates Party, Members Compromised

Formerly Uganda’s strongest opposition party and arguably the country’s most widespread opposition, the Forum for Democratic Change ( FDC) finds itself in a complex situation and staring at not just a split but a bitter one.

The party that expected to reinvent itself in the absence of its strongman Dr Kizza Besigye, finds itself dwelling in the shadow of its founders and stuck in a ditch dug deep by two factions; one headed by Secretary-General Nathan Nandala Mafabi and another by long-term spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda. Interestingly, both are in the blue corner.

What sparked the chaos

So much has been happening in the party, but the sparking factor of the chaos is the party’s grassroots elections.

The Party Chairman Wasswa Birigwa recently decreed that elections for the party be suspended to allow the National Council to look into the emerging internal claims, a decision the Nandala group has rejected.

Birigwa’s decision to cancel the party grassroots elections follows several claims that a faction led by Nandala Mafabi and Party President Amuriat Oboi has been holding meetings across the country preaching hate speech against Ibrahim Ssemujju and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago who are all seeking to be elected in the party top structures.

These further claim the Mafabi-led faction has been displaying voters and registering new voters whom they can’t verify whether they are genuine members.

Birigwa responded by suspending all elections in order to save the party from further split as the National Council looks into the matter.

According to the FDC constitution, chapter seven, the party chairman is mandated to oversee discipline, ethical standards and ensure harmony. It’s based on the fact that the National Chairman has halted the process.  He claims that the National Council had already halted.

Nandala Faction defiant

However, the Nandala-led faction is defiant regarding the new directive, instead Nandala in his capacity as Secretary General issued a circular urging all party members to turn up for the grassroots elections scheduled for Monday, July 17th.

Nandala argues that there is no other activity members are expected to be part of, except the said elections.

These argue that the Birigwa as the Party Chairman has no mandate to hold or stop the election process since he is not the chairman electoral commission.

Ssemujju Camp bitter

The Ibrahim Ssemujju and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago factions are in support of the suspension, claiming the Nandala faction wants to hurriedly hold elections and formalise their dealings with the ruling National Resistance Movement.

“Nandala wants these elections to happen so that he can quickly take over the FDC and then load it on the pickup and take it to State House,” Ssemujju argues.

“We are not going to keep quiet, I will traverse the country telling people how Museveni has made arrangements to load FDC on a pickup and take it as he did with Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC)” Ssemujju adds.

Ssemujju and Lukwago have now called for a consultative meeting at Nsambya sharing ground to seek the opinion of party leaders on the conduct of the Nandala faction.

“We are going to reveal all their dealings with the NRM at this meeting, we shall tell all leaders about their behaviour,’ Ssemujju vowed.

Nandala camp warns against consultative meeting

In a circular to the FDC members, Nandala warned against the consultative meeting, stating that there is no such a meeting as called for by the FDC party structures.

Indeed, while the consultative meeting started early on Monday morning, Nandala and that pro-Nandala were suspiciously absent. Ssemujju and Lukwago on the other hand turned up.

Money is the cause of all chaos

Ssemujju accuses Nandala Mafabi and Patrick Amuriat of receiving a strange sum of money from an unknown source. He says the money came in the middle of the elections and tit has never been accounted for.

“The things the money bought suggest that it was in billions,” Ssemujju claims, but insists the two refused to reveal the source of the money.

He claims that the party need to know that the money did not come from President Museveni.

What is the rumour?

For some time, certain members of the FDC including Nandala Mafabi and Patrick Amuriat have been accused of dealing with President Museveni to compromise the party.

It was alleged that President Museveni bankrolled Amuriat during the presidential campaigns, the allegation was rubbished by the FDC and Besigye who said that indeed Amuriate was the most underfunded candidate during the campaigns.

Other allegations point to Mafabi whom they accuse of entering a deal with President Museveni to hand over FDC for a Bank of Uganda Governor position. Mafabi has dismissed the allegations too.

In a previous interview with the media, Ssemujju said that he is not aware of any party’s decision to work with President Museveni but added that if any individuals are working with Museveni, they are doing so at their own will.

While the rumour is only a rumour, it is important to note that the FDC finds itself in an unfamiliar situation, and now the party spokesperson has gone bare knuckles on the leaders, accusing them of wanting to drive the party to State House, not to be in power but to be in bed with those in power.

“We have come from far, we made so many contributions and we shall not accept it. Even if Museveni eventually takes it, he should not know that it is not that easy, we are going to fight hard, and he will know that this is an elephant he is taking on a bicycle,” Ssemujju sums up the party’s woes.

Story Credit: Nilepost