According to reports, there are rumors within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) that an estimated 526 National Executive Committee representatives representing Uganda’s 113 regions have petitioned the party’s chairman, Patrick Amriat Oboye.
Their demand is that the country’s president, Ambassador Vaswa Brigwa, be referred to a disciplinary committee for alleged mismanagement of party affairs.
According to a memo released by delegates, Birigwa is accused of engaging in a series of unethical activities that sow hatred and division within the party. They said the alleged behavior posed a significant threat to the party’s survival.
On September 14, Amuriat spoke out and directly accused Birigwa of meeting secretly with individuals hostile to the party without the knowledge or consent of the administration.
Delegates further accused Birigwa of undermining the authority and resolutions of the National Council, unilaterally suspending elections and calling for a special session of national delegates without due process.
They also claim he created a center of dissident power within the party by bypassing the treasurer, taking liberties with the party’s finances and violating the powers of the secretary-general.
Serious questions have arisen over the source of the huge sum of over 800 million UGX allocated for the conference, with hints of possible collaboration with the ruling NRM government.
The drama comes against the backdrop of a court injunction issued by Judge Esta Nambayo that effectively blocked the controversial delegates meeting organized by Ambassador Birigwa.
A meeting originally scheduled for September 19 has been pending until a hearing on September 18.
To add insult to injury, the police force announced that it would not guarantee security for the meeting, deepening the chaos within the FLN.
In a harshly worded memorandum to President Amuriat, the delegates called for swift retaliation against Chairman Birigwa and his alleged co-conspirators, accusing them of obstructing the party’s initiatives and progress.
Party vice-president Salaam Musumba defiantly declared that they would go ahead with the arrangement in defiance of the court order. Musomba asserted that “crossing the lane is what has brought our party to a standstill… The Democratic Front has faced serious challenges in the Amriyat regime and our party may collapse.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Front pioneer and first president, Colonel Kizza Besigye Kifefe, remains resolute, expressing confidence that their determination will ultimately achieve political transition in Uganda.
Robert Centenary, spokesman for the pro-Amriat Oboy faction within the Democratic Front, called for a peaceful resolution of the issue at the roundtable and urged against dangerous rhetoric that could escalate into a dangerous conflagration.
He asserted, “Their defiance strategy will not work… If this was a party conference, the Lib Dems should be sponsoring it.”
Tensions within the Democratic Front have escalated, with senior leaders leveling accusations against President Amuriat and secretary-general Nathan Nandala-Mafabi, alleging undisclosed financial dealings and party mismanagement.
The rift, which dates back to 2020, has widened to the point of a potential party split, reminiscent of the 2017 split that led General Mugisha Muntu and his supporters to form the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).
The foundations of the Democratic Front are now in jeopardy.
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