By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
At their party 17th National Council meeting sitting at Katonga road, a group of the FDC supporters suggested for a formation of a new political party to break away with the “imposters” at Najjanankumbi, Erias Lukwago, the Katonga faction’s interim president presented in a report.
“A section of members have mooted a rather novel proposal that since the vision, heart, and soul of members of the party resides here at Katonga, the bonafide members who are still committed to the struggle to push back against the junta should consider getting a new brand and move on with the vision of building a new Uganda with new institutions. This would essentially entail having a new political formation,” he said.
According to Lukwago, party members and leaders have different views aimed at pushing the struggle for transition forward which they have been doing for the last 20yrs against president Museveni’s dictatorial regime.
The proposal to form a new political party is amid disputes between the Katonga faction and Najjanankumbi faction headed by SG Hon. Nandala Mafabi and Party President Eng. Patrick Oboi Amuriat (re-elected in December last year) at the delegates conference.
Nonetheless, the FDC Katonga group is insisting on removing from office the Najjanankumbi leadership, which they accuse of working for the ruling government, while others are proposing that they should create a new political formation to proceed with the struggle.
In his report to the chief convener, Amb. Wasswa Birigwa, Lukwago revealed that there are voices from the Najjanankumbi leadership pleading for a reconciliation but demanded that for the two groups to bury the hatchet, leaders at Najjanankumbi namely Amuriat and Nandala Mafabi should step aside and leave the party headquarters.
“As NEC, we have been categorical in our response that for this proposal to be considered, the imposters must denounce their nefarious conduct and scandals, which include the coup they are perpetrating, the chaos and mayhem they have caused at Najanankumbi, and apologize for the public odium they have invited to the party. They must stop holding out as leaders of the party and vacate Najanankumbi. If they are to be retained as members of the party, they have to go through a cleansing and exorcising process.” he said.
Speaking at the meeting, the FDC founding president Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye said that while they are discussing the next course of action, they should know the main goal which is deliberating for the country to acquire its sovereignty which Ugandans have never experienced since independence.
Besigye called on national council members to get down to the grassroots to explain to their members what happened following the fights at the Najjanankumbi office.
“You have been hearing that we want to sell FDC to NUP, why would we do that? How immune is NUP from becoming FDC? You think what ate FDC cannot eat NUP? It can or ANT or the other parties, so we must guard against the propaganda, especially you people from the district.”
On the proposal to form a new political party and other suggestions in the Lukwago report, Besigye said that all options are applicable.
He was however quick to explain that formation of a social movement could entail abandoning elections which he said he cannot object to.
The group is now headed to nationwide consultative meetings to solicit members’ views on several proposals raised by party diehards.
A final decision will then be made at their forthcoming Delegates Conference which has been postponed from initial March 19 to two months time.
The proposal to form a new political party if adopted, it will see Dr. Kizza Besigye parting ways with his founded party to give birth to a new political formation.
