By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The FDC Electoral Commission has said elections for the national youth leadership and women’s executive league will be conducted this week.
Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda, the EC chairman said 11 positions to be filled for the National Youth League Executive and 10 vacant positions in the National Women League Executive.
They are Youth National Chairperson, Four Vice Chairpersons from each of the four regions; East, Central, North, and West, Secretary General, Mobilization Secretary, Treasurer, Secretaries for Research and Publicity, Legal, human rights and Constitutional affairs, Women, Persons With Disabilities -PWDs, Education, Sports and Students and Health and Environment.
According to Kikonyogo, nomination for the candidates on the youth and women positions has already taken place while candidates interested in other positions will be nominated on Wednesday October 18, prior to election day slated for Thursday October 19.
Six candidates to contest for youth chairperson. They are Arinaitwe Manful, Francis Adepo, Swaburah Nakabira, Ocieng Boniface, Brian Okori, and Okot Fredrick Nauries. Two candidates namely Achan Hellen and Agnes Kisakye have also been nominated to contest for the party women’s league chairperson.
Data from the EC indicate a total of 284 and 258 eligible voters for youth and women leagues, respectively. They include leaders at the district, institutional chairpersons and current executive leaders.
Speaking to journalists at Najjanankumbi on Monday, Toterebuka warned voters for youth league to carry with them valid National Identity Cards noting that voters who’ll be above 30yrs and those without IDs will not be allowed to vote.
On the other hand, the FDC has rallied leaders at the grassroot levels to start mobilizing and identifying candidates for the local council and women’s council elections.
This is after a roadmap for local council elections purportedly released by Justice Simon Mugenyo Byabakama’s Electoral Commission leaked in the media reporting that the commission will conduct LC1 , 2 and women council elections in November and December this year. Byabakama however, has since denied issuing the roadmap saying it is a prototype programme still under discussion urging political parties and other stakeholders to ignore the documents until such a time when the commission will approve and formally release the electoral programme.
But Toterebuka insists that FDC leaders mobilize and identify candidates in their respective jurisdictions despite having not been formally informed by the EC.
“We call upon FDC members from Village to the district, to take up the responsibility and begin identifying candidates in the over 72,000 villages countrywide.The National Electoral Commission will find us ahead,” Toterebuka said before warning security officers of interfering with their preparations.
“Hope PISOs, GISOs, RISOs and other Security Organs don’t interfere with our internal preparations.”
