After back and forth movements with Police, Uganda’s largest opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has today disclosed that it will elect its presidential flag bearer within a week’s time.
The development was announced by FDC Spokesperson Ibrahim Semujju Nganda during a Press briefing held today September 28, 2020.
“The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) National Council is scheduled to convene on October 6, 2020, which is Tuesday next week to among other things elect the Party’s presidential candidate for the forthcoming polls,” Semujju disclosed.
“That meeting will take place here at the FDC headquarters,” he added.
The National Council comprises of District Chairpersons, members of National Executive Committee (NEC) and Active Legislators.
Apparently, Semujju intimated that Wasswa Birigwa and Patrick Amuriat who are vying to become the Party’s Torch Bearers in the 2021 Presidential Polls have resumed joint campaigns a week after seeking Police clearance.
“The two candidates met delegates from Ankole in Mbarara and Bushenyi on Saturday. They also campaigned in Rukungiri, Kanungu and met the rest of Kigezi delegates in Kabale last evening. These two candidates, as I speak to you, now are in Kasese,” he stated.
Last week, party members were at ‘sixes and sevens’ after Police foiled their Presidential campaigns in Jinja on grounds that they were not in conformity with the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Addressing the press on Monday last week, John Kikonyogo, the Deputy Party Spokesperson said that as a condition, these meetings were not supposed to exceed 50 people, a scenario which has left them between a rock and hard place.
“As you know, we were supposed to be in Kamuli last week to meet our delegates in Busoga region, but these delegates are more than 100. And you know the police will be more than happy to disperse us,” Kikonyogo said last week.
Furthermore, Semujju revealed that part of the team supervising these campaigns is also involved in calming tensions arising out of the FDC Primaries for Parliamentary candidates.
“The Secretary General (Nandala Mafabi) and the FDC Vice Chairman for Western Uganda (Roland Kaginda) are simultaneously reconciling FDC leaders who were divided by the Party Primaries,” Semujju indicated.
It is understood that the Party’s Secretary for Mobilization Ingrid Turinawe is one of those who were not content with the manner in which she was defeated by Dr. Warren Tumwiine that many pundits considered a ‘Political Novice’.
Turinawe has been involved in pitched battles with the party hierarchy which she accuses of working for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government.
“We struggle and fight the junta as they sit on TV to watch news. During elections, structures gang against us and declare us unfit because we are unable to give them Kaki envelopes. They prefer people who pay them against us who fight for them,” she bemoaned on August 20, 2020.
