Chaotic FDC National Council meeting adopts report clearing Mafabi 

Leading members of FDC on July 28 chose not to participate in the chaotic  national council meeting, further emphasising the seemingly irreconcilable differences which now leave the party at a crossroads.

Founding president Dr Kizza Besigye; spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and the deputy president for Buganda Erias Lukwago have been at the forefront of the latest break-down in intra-party relations.

On Friday, they were not inside the Najjanankumbi headquarters as 251 of an anticipated 350 delegates convened for a special national council meeting.  

Mr Lukwago showed up in the morning, only to be denied entry by individuals believed to have been working on the instructions of the secretary general, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi and party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat. 

Throughout the morning, ugly scenes played out at the venue. Gangs of youth, reportedly bussed in from eastern Uganda from where the two embattled officials hail, joined another lot of suspected Kampala city thugs to harass, assault and intimidate particular delegates. 

In the end, with decorum thrown out of the window, the event quickly turned into an angry and inconclusive affair.

Several delegates, who braved the chaos to receive the elders’ committee report on the controversial Shs7b allegedly brought into the party from suspicious sources by Mr Mafabi and Mr Amuriat, left midway.

By close of business, less than 80 delegates remained the Najjanankumbi premises.

Both Mr Ssemujju and Mr Lukwago have recently claimed the money was part of a plan to betray and “sell FDC” to President Museveni as has happened with at least two other Opposition political parties.

Mr Ssemujju and Mr Lukwago had on Thursday accused their counterparts of doctoring the report in their favour, a claim they denied.

But this accusation of manipulation, coupled with the chaos, left the whole event struggling for credibility.

Having chaired the inquiry, former Kagoma County MP Frank Nabwiso presented what looked like detailed findings.

His report was adopted by the few remaining delegates amidst angry heckling and claims that the whole process had been engineered to favour the accused.

The report exonerates Mr Mafabi and Mr Amuriat. Mr Joy Edyegu Emusu, an elder and committee member from Kaberamaido,  said the accusers failed to provide proof that the accused brought in evil money.

The committee also confirmed that Mr Mafabi had indeed taken some of the money to Dr Besigye, who has since embarked on refunding it in instalments. 

Dr Nabwiso later said he was a man of credibility, and whoever thinks his report was doctored, should explain . The seven-member elders’ committee included Dr Nabwiso, Mr Edyegu, Mr Martin Atibu, Mr Stanely Katembya and others. Mr Katembeya resigned along the way, reportedly protesting Dr Nabwiso’s methods. 

It was constituted after FDC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) demanded for its creation to investigate the so-called “evil money” allegations raised by Dr Besigye against Mr Mafabi.

Mr Amuriat is reported to have handpicked names which were then sent to NEC for evaluation. As stipulated in the party constitution, he then forwarded the names to Mr Mafabi and Dr Besigye for further scrutiny.

“The two gentlemen sat on the NEC and these names were debated by NEC in their presence. Why would they come up now to start saying they (committee) allowed us to doctor the report?” Mr Amuriat wondered.

FDC national chairman Wasswa Birigwa had a rough time trying to calm down angry members, some of whom protested the findings of the report.

Several delegates said the meeting was one-sided and feared the snubbing by Dr Besigye was a clear sign that the party is heading into political limbo.

Mr Amuriat, however, said his faction has already started reaching out to Dr Besigye “because he is a strong pillar for the survival of this party”.

“Without our elder, Dr Besigye, we are nothing and what we have started now is reaching out to all the individuals [who snubbed the meeting] so that unity returns to our party,” he said.

Monitor was not able to speak to Dr Besigye for comment.