Former presidential candidate Col Dr. Kizza Besigye has been called to redirect his efforts away from attempting to reclaim the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and, instead, focus on forging an alliance between his “People’s Government” and the leading opposition force, the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Amid the unraveling internal impasse, there are now concerns that it might be too late to salvage the Najjanankumbi-based party.
Hajj Latif Ssebagala, a member of NUP and former representative of Kawempe North said on Friday that the current state of the FDC is “beyond repair” and that the party now faces the same fate as the Democratic Party (which in 2020 saw a mass exodus of members to the NUP).
Rather than expending energy and resources in attempting to regain control, the right thing to do is to acknowledge that the FDC chapter has closed and is beyond salvage,” said Ssebagala in a televised interview.
“Just like our efforts to mend the DP, which proved futile, they must recognize that their party is now finished. It has ceased to exist. The wisest course of action for those in Katonga is to admit that their party has been taken and join us to collectively strengthen our forces and plan the way forward,” he said.
The internal power struggle within the FDC reached its zenith this week as Col. Besigye’s faction conducted a parallel delegates’ conference that elected Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago as President and Francis Mwijukye as Secretary General, replacing Patrick Amuriat and Nathan Nandala Mafabi, respectively.
The long-standing disarray within the FDC erupted in July when Dr. Besigye, Chairman Wasswa Biriggwa, and Spokesperson Semujju Nganda accused the party leadership of accepting “dirty money” from President Yoweri Museveni.
Following this week’s delegates’ conference, Col. Besigye revealed to the media that they are working on reclaiming the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi.
Lord Mayor Lukwago subsequently confirmed this, hinting that the Amuriat group may not even possess the land title for the party’s office location.
In today’s interview, Ssebagala suggested that the FDC is now firmly under the control of the NRM regime and that it is futile to attempt to reclaim it.
“At this point, the Katonga group has limited alternatives, and the positive aspect is that we are ready to welcome them into the NUP,” he stated.
They can choose to join as a pressure group, as individuals, or even establish their own political entity, which can then form an alliance with the NUP.
