By Racheal Amuge,
KAMPALA
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has suspended primary elections in four districts Soroti City, Soroti District, Ngora, and Serere citing irregularities in voters’ registers and management concerns.
In a press briefing held at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, FDC Chief Electoral Commissioner Toterebuka Bamwenda Boniface said the affected districts will have new election dates announced soon. A directive halting the elections was issued on July 5, 2025, and district electoral supervisors have been instructed to comply.
“We took this decision after receiving numerous complaints concerning voters’ registers and administrative issues. The integrity of our internal elections is paramount,” Bamwenda said.
The party also revealed that its decentralized nomination exercise has seen thousands of candidates confirmed for various positions. These include 220 aspiring Members of Parliament, 42 LCV chairpersons, 25 municipality mayors, 480 LC3 chairpersons, 601 LCV councilors, 828 municipality councilors, 3,888 LC3 councilors, and 10,580 LC1 chairpersons.
The FDC’s primary elections began on July 2 and are scheduled to run until July 12. So far, several districts have successfully conducted primaries. Sironko held its elections on July 5, while Kasese is scheduled for July 9. Soroti City and District were slated to hold MP elections on July 12 before the suspension. Mbale City is expected to conduct its Woman MP primary on July 11.
Meanwhile, the party raised strong concerns over a recent directive from the Electoral Commission requiring all candidates for President, MP, and LCV Chairperson to verify their academic qualifications with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
Bamwenda accused EC Chairman Justice Simon Byabakama of overstepping legal boundaries.
“Section 5 of the Parliamentary Elections Act clearly exempts candidates who obtained their O’Level and A’Level certificates from Ugandan institutions from verification. Justice Byabakama’s directive contradicts the law and is a disservice to Ugandan citizens,” he said.
The FDC warned that if the Electoral Commission does not retract the directive, the party will seek legal redress.
“We shall not sit back and watch Ugandans be forced to spend money on unnecessary verification of already certified documents. The Electoral Commission must act within the law,” Bamwenda added.
