FDC Katonga releases elections roadmap 

As the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) muddles along as a two-sided opposition political party, the interim leadership yesterday unveiled separate plans for elections of new office bearers.
The roadmap is one of several things decided at the September 19 national delegates’ conference where an interim government was appointed and given six months to prepare elections for new party leaders.

It is during that meeting that Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Mr Geoffrey Ekanya were removed from their positions as party president, secretary general and treasurer, respectively. 

All three face accusations of betraying FDC amid allegations that ‘dirty money’ was received from State House under their watch ahead of the 2021 election. As the internal strife rages, two city banks have received instructions to stop recognising them as account signatories.
The same meeting also disbanded FDC’s elections committee and replaced its leader, Mr Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda with Mr Michael Kabaziguruka.
Addressing journalists at parallel offices on Katonga Road, Kampala, Mr Kabaziguruka said regional tours commence on November 14 even though a rival elections process led by Mr Amuriat is underway. 

According to the roadmap, the National Executive Committee (NEC) will sit on December 6 to nominate 10 eminent persons and 10 diaspora representatives to participate in a key national delegates conference due on March 8 next year.

The NEC meeting will lead to grassroots elections at village, parish, sub-county, and district level on January 18, 2024. Elected officials are expected to attend the March 8, 2024 conference at which new NEC leaders (party president, vice presidents, national chairperson and deputies, secretary general, treasurer, and others), will be chosen. 
“We developed this roadmap which received approval at last week’s NEC meeting,” Mr Kabaziguruka said.

Mr Erias Lukwago, who was appointed FDC interim president on September 19, used yesterday’s media briefing to clarify the party’s constitutional position on elections. 
He said while Article 23 authorises the FDC elections body to organise elections, the mandate to call a national delegates conference where the top leadership, or NEC members, are elected, rests with the national chairman. 
He repeated earlier assertions that plans by the ousted leaders to hold elections during a contentious October 6 meeting called by Mr Toterebuka are illegal.

Last week, the interim leadership dragged Mr Toterebuka to court in Kampala over the matter. Mr Toterebuka yesterday said he is waiting to be summoned.  “I have never received any court summons but I would be ready to comply with court if I received one. Court is a simple thing… me being dragged to court is normal,” he said during a parallel press conference at FDC-Najjanankumbi headquarters.
In the High Court suit, Mr Toterebuka is accused of acting unlawfully in purporting to convene a national delegates conference contrary to the FDC constitution. 

Responding to Monitor’s efforts to verify whether Najjanankumbi has received court summons, deputy spokesperson, Mr John Kikonyongo tried to explain Mr Toterebuka’s newspaper notice inviting delegates.
“…his work is to handle elections, and even the advert he put in the papers was to call the delegates; that you have a duty to come and elect your leaders,” Mr Kikonyogo said.

Mr Kikonyogo said the meeting will be chaired by the “office of the chairperson”, saying that if the chairman doesn’t chair it, one of his vice chairpersons will act on his behalf.
“The constitution is clear; the chairperson has five deputies, and the deputies can act if the chairman is not there,” he asked?
However, party national chairman, Mr Wasswa Birigwa, indicated to Monitor yesterday evening that Mr Kikonyogo’s claim is false.

“This can only happen if I have asked my deputies to do so if am not around. But I have never done that and I have not asked any of them to do so. The constitution is clear: It gives power only to the chairperson to  convene and chair the national delegates conference,” he said.