Sharp disagreements between two rival factions in Ugandan opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) are threatening to tear the political party apart over positions of leadership in scheduled grassroots polls.
One of the factions is led by Kampala Lord Mayor, also FDC Vice President Erias Lukwago, and party spokesperson, also Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda while the other faction is led by party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat (POA) and Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the Budadiri West legislator.
The two factions have sharply disagreed on the handling of this week’s polls, with the Lukwago-Ssemujju camp accusing the Nandala-Amuriat group of seeking to rig the poll in their favour.
The Ssemujju-Lukwago camp accuses Nandala Mafabi and Amuriat of preaching hate speech against them and of including ghost voters in the register so as to rig the poll.
These allegations have prompted FDC national chairman Wasswa Birigwa to use his powers to suspend this week’s grassroot elections so as to find time to investigate the allegations.
Birigwa says there is need for the party to take time, sort out the allegations and disagreements, and agree on the right thing to do.
The two factions are expected to hold different events to popularize their positions on the elections.
In his characteristic blunt way of making his points, MP Ssemujju took a swipe at SG Nandala Mafabi, accusing him of wanting to run the FDC as a petrol station.
Ssemujju has even gone as far as claiming that Nandala Mafabi wants to sell the opposition party to President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“He now wants to run the FDC like a petrol station so he can take over the party, load it on a truck and take it to Museveni at State House,” claimed Ssemujju.
It should be remembered that an ally of opposition strongman Dr Kizza Besigye previously claimed that Museveni’s moles had infiltrated the FDC Najjanankumbi headquarters, forcing Besigye to open a separate office along Katonga Road. The Besigye ally also revealed that a number of top FDC officials work with – and for – Museveni and that many were expected to be on Museveni’s cabinet list besides Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo. (See Details Here and There).
It’s not only the FDC that is facing a crisis. A National Unity Platform (NUP) MP recently revealed that a number of party legislators will soon publicly join Museveni’s son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s MK Movement while dumping Bobi Wine. Ex-MP also left many in shock after he predicted that Muhoozi can defeat Bobi Wine at NUP Kamwokya headquarters in a secret ballot vote. (Read Stories Here and There).
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