By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The Kabale municipality member of parliament Dr. Nicholas Kamara rebuked claims that the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is into factions over the ongoing infighting between party top leadership.
“Many have suggested that we split and fight a war. I want to assure you that there is not going to be any split. We are going to fight within FDC and save the party because these are just few NEC members,” Kamara said referring to Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi and party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat.
He was speaking to journalists when several members of the FDC National Executive Committee (NEC) issued a joint statement in which they called for staying of the internal elections and disbanding of the Electoral Commission organizing these elections at Fairway Hotel on Thursday August 3.
Ssemujju Nganda, the FDC spokesperson said NEC will convene at unspecified date to find the way forward to resolve issues within the party. He appealed to party members across the country not to take part in the ongoing elections until a new commission is established.
“The Toterebuka Bamwenda electoral commission must be disbanded, a new credible and impartial electoral commission should be instituted. The new commission should propose a new electoral roadmap and present it to the National Executive Committee for approval,” Ssemujju said.
There are ongoing rifts within the FDC over alleged undisclosed amount of money from unclear sources purportedly received from President Museveni to SG Nandala Mafabi and President Patrick Oboi Amuriat to fund the 2021 general elections. These have created infighting and eventually two factions one headed by Nandala at Najjanankumbi and another indirectly commanded by Dr Kizza Besigye and led by the party spokesperson Hon. Ssemujju Nganda and the Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago (Katonga fact).
Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago however denied that there are factions within the FDC stating that it is Nandala group that has created a faction not NEC.
“We are not a faction but We are a wide spectrum of the FDC NEC. We constitute the National Executive Committee of the party. We would be seated at our party headquarters but they are under siege and taken over by goons,” he said.
Lukwago who said that FDC is not a briefcase political party noted that they are going to use the structures rolled out countrywide to rescue the party from the greedy leadership of Nandala group.
On the other hand, the Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura said she will not give up on the fight to rescue her party from egoistic leaders serving the interest of the president not party interests.
“I am going to do everything possible, use all means necessary to rally members of FDC to come out and defend their party. It seems Nandala has forgotten FDC members who can’t be paid to support someone deployed by Museveni,” Nyanjura said.
