The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party is facing a leadership crisis as it prepares for its national delegates conference to elect a new National Executive Committee (NEC).
The party is divided into two factions: the Katonga faction, led by Mr. Erias Lukwago, and the Najjanankumbi faction, still under the leadership of Mr. Patrick Amuriat as party president.
The Katonga faction is aligned with former party president Dr. Kizza Besigye and has opted to boycott the electoral process organized by the Najjanankumbi faction. They argue that internal disputes within the party should be resolved before conducting elections.
Despite a court order against it, the Katonga faction held an extraordinary delegates’ conference last week and elected Mr. Lukwago as interim party president.
The Najjanankumbi faction, on the other hand, is proceeding with its own electoral process. The FDC’s Electoral Commission, chaired by Mr. Boniface Bamwenda Toterebuka, recently announced a campaign roadmap leading up to the conference.
Campaigning officially commenced yesterday and is scheduled to conclude on October 4, just before the elections on October 6. The conference is expected to host approximately 1,000 delegates who will participate in the election process.
The battle for the party’s top position has attracted two candidates, including the incumbent chair, Mr. Amuriat, and former youth league leader Moses Mugisha.
Several other individuals are competing for various positions, including Mr. Yusuf Nsibambi and Ms. Margaret Madanda for deputy party president of the Central Region, and Mr. Kaps Fungaroo for deputy president of the Northern Region.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mafabi is running unopposed for his secretary-general position, and Ms. Judith Akello and Geoffrey Ekanya are vying for the treasurer general position.
It remains to be seen which faction will ultimately prevail in the leadership struggle. The outcome of the national delegates conference will have a significant impact on the future of the FDC party and its ability to challenge the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in future elections.
