The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has announced that it will continue with its plans for internal elections, despite facing resistance from a faction of leaders calling for a postponement.
brahim Ssemujju Nganda, in a parallel meeting organised yesterday, revealed that some FDC leaders opposed the internal election, accusing Secretary General Nandala Mafabi of manipulating the process.
"We have raised our concerns formally and informally on numerous occasions, but to no avail. All they want is to hold fraudulent elections and install themselves in power, while sidelining those they disagree with," expressed Ssemujju.
"We are gradually heading towards a situation where we will have a formal or informal relationship with Museveni. There are individuals who pretend to fight against this regime, but in reality, they do not," he added.
However, at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, FDC Electoral Commission Chairperson Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda affirmed that the party would proceed with the election process, starting from the village level up to the district level.
The National Delegates Conference would then elect the members of the National Executive Committee.
"We expect to conduct elections in 71,230 villages, 10,595 parishes, 2,211 sub-counties, 353 constituencies, and 150 districts. At each level, we will elect nine members of the Youth League, nine members of the Women League, and eight members of the Mainstream/Executive," stated Bamwenda.
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He also clarified that the FDC National Executive Committee had adopted the Structure Building Roadmap 2023 on May 12, 2023, and had resolved to implement the Structure Elections Roadmap.
"The elections for village and parish structures were initially scheduled to commence on June 19, 2023. However, on June 16, 2023, the National Executive Committee requested an adjustment of the roadmap, extending it by four weeks starting from June 16, 2023," explained Bamwenda.
This extension aimed to provide an opportunity for leaders to reconcile before the elections took place after the four-week period. The confusion surrounding the internal disagreements has raised concerns about the future of the once formidable opposition political party. It remains uncertain how Ssemujju and his faction will impede the elections, as the mainstream party insists they will proceed as planned.
Bamwenda emphasized that the FDC's electoral commission is operating within its constitutionally given mandate under Article 29 of the party's Constitution to conduct the elections.
The departure of a faction led by Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu to form the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) prior to the 2021 general elections weakened FDC, leading to the defeat of numerous FDC MP candidates by the ruling NRM party and the National Unity Platform.
With FDC's internal conflicts being aired publicly, observers believe that the situation could worsen for the political party in the 2026 polls. However, FDC remains optimistic and determined to rise to the occasion.
