AUGUST 21, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
Our attention has been drawn to the purported ‘’National Delegates Conference’’ chaired by our former National Chairman Amb. Wasswa Biriggwa on Monday 19th August 2024, at Katonga in Kampala where they purported to dissolve the Party under article 36 of the Party constitution, they also resolved to extend the tenure of the purported National leadership of the group led by Hon. Erias Lukwago and lastly, they resolved to form a new Party.
First forward, the purported “National Delegates Conference” called by the former Chairman Amb. Biriggwa was ultra vires and void as the Convener and with the rulling of Justice Esther Nambayo which slapped a court order retraining the same Biriggwa and Katonga adherents from organizing the so called extra ordinary delegates conference on 19th September 2023 thus rendering the resolutions of such meeting a nullity. So whatever, resolutions came after,this ruling is treated as null and void.
It would be recalled that while the leadership at Najjanankumbi organized leadership renewal as per the National Council Chaired by Amb. Wasswa Biriggwa on 28th July 2023 which resolved to conduct the elections from village to National level, Our colleagues at Katonga, went to court to challenge our National Delegates conference, Justice Musa Ssekaana dismissed the petition and cleared the leadership at Najjanankumbi to go on with the National Delegates conference that took place at Patidar Samaj – Lugogo on 6th 0ctober 2023, which Conference elected the current Office bearers. After the Conference, the newly elected Leadership was filed with the Electoral Commission and was dully certified. Noteworthy is that the Justice Ssekaana’s ruling has not been challenged.
Our leadership has gone ahead to dispense their duties and responsibilities unchallenged; We fronted Dr, Rosemary Alwoc Ogwal as candidate for Woman MP Dokolo District bi election., We also designated the Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi as the Party Whip now recognized by Parliament, replacing the renegade Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda etc.
We have continued to receive funds from the Electoral Commission that is allocated to Parties represented in Parliament, utilized it efficiently and filed accountability returns to the regulator of political parties, the Electoral Commission as per the Political Parties and Organisation Act 2005. We have never had any objection to our operation as the Political Party. We continue to operate official business of the Party from plot 1164 Entebbe Road Kampala.
So concerning winding up the political party, the only legitimate body that is authorized to engage in the process of dissolving the Party as per article 36 of the Party Constitution, is the leadership at Najjanankumbi under the stewardship of Chairman Hon. Jack Sabiiti. So our colleagues at Katonga have no locus of dissolving the Party they don’t have control over anything in the Party. They can only continue in clownish posturing that we see.
Concerning our colleagues’ resolution of formation of a new political Party as per their consultation, we in the leadership of FDC, have no objection with this kind of arrangement, The Constitution of Uganda guarantee the freedom of Association which we respect too. And they will not be the first group to start a new Party from the FDC fold, In 2010, the Hon. Betty Olive Namisango Kamya Turwomwe having disagreed with the Besigye administration broke away from FDC and formed the Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA). Similarly in 2019 our immediate former Party President Rtd. Maj. Gen. Gregory Mugisha Muntu formed the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).
The Katonga purported National Delegates conference resolved to extend their so called interim leadership led by a one Erias Lukwago. We want to observe that in our Party Constitution, there is no provision for interim leadership its ridiculous, foolery, clownish and ultra vires to assign anybody such a position. We shall treat their resolutions with the contempt that they deserve.
We would like to diagnose the underlying problem as follows;
Generally, the situation that has happened in Katonga is similar to a neighbor coming to take decision in a house he doesn’t own just like attempting to sell land / property he doesn’t own. We have been treated to dikuula (Clown) politics by our colleagues in Katonga,which group has been run as a cult
There is a very big fundamental problem with the “made in 1986” political group (model) who have over time proven to be the same, everything Ugandans know about Mr. Museveni, Col. Besigye seems to be three or two folds of it. Upto now as we all know that Mr. Museveni has never dreamt of life outside Presidency with more ambiguities on a succession plan. It’s worse with our brother Col. Besigye for as long as he is not the leader of this Party or any anti Government organization, the country, and the entire world has no person that can serve better than him. According to him, Gen. Muntu was bad for the Party and therefore branded a mole and had to be hounded out of the Party. Now even me who succeeded Gen. Muntu together with the Secretary General Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi when we refused to be his stooges, we were branded all sorts of names like sale outs, engata, ebikooko and all other tribes of names that one can ever think of. I can assure you that even his current political peg boys will fall out with him should they attempt to be independent minded.
The World can now see for themselves that the allegations advanced by Dr.Kizza Besigye against the leadership of FDC were intended to tarnish the Secretary General and myself out of selfish personal considerations
We saw how the team was busy discrediting the leadership of the Party yet this group is more questionable than those they blackmail.
Clearly Dr.Kizza Besigye has surrounded himself with characters of questionable reputations knowingly but has kept silent for his own political expedience
The Hon. Ssemujju Nganda
He is a Speaker’s peg boy whose integrity is deeply questionable; He is the only Ugandan who has superseded the record of travelling. That he has managed to travel for more days that exist in a period of 182 days for him he travelled out of the country on purported Parliamentary duties for 196 days. When we were haunting for corrupt officials at Parliament, Ssemujju would have lined up a culprit number one. Am shocked that such a person is heading the processes of forming a new Party. Is this going to be a Party of the corrupt?
Hon. Francis Mwijukye
I think this one’s other name should have been ‘’nsomba byuuma’’ because whom hasn’t he fleeced money in this country? Including those he is hobnobbing with. At a Party level, he misappropriated a lot of money but we forgave him, I have received over 56 MPs complaints who have fallen victim of his theft. This very member, we have privileged information of his active involvement in the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) activities in Ankole subregion. We ask ourselves whether the Party that our colleagues are about to start is an extension of the PLU?
Hon. Salaamu Musumba
Our sister is known to be a regular visitor of state House, we have also seen her on several occasions escorting President Museveni on foreign trips. We don’t understand under which capacity?
The same person was bankrolled by the State with billions of Shillings ostensibly to defeat the then Speaker of Parliament in the Kamuli District Woman Parliamentary race.
Just recently, on the 26th of January 2024, she was invited and attended as a special guest at the NRM liberation day celebration in Buwenge TownCouncil – Jinja District which was presided over by the Mr. Museveni. We wonder, whether the Party that is about to be formed which Hon. Salaamu represented on the NRM liberation day is an extension of NRM?
Hon. Lukwago Erias
There is a popular Kiganda adage ‘’Akasanke Kakulema_______’’a person who has failed to run a city wants to run a National grassroots Party? Really now this one, what has he ever managed in life? Apart from political nomadism, where has been gallivanting Political formations; DP, Ssuubi, A4C, TJ wherever he left those political formations, he left political turmoil and he attempted to bring political confusion to FDC. Am happy, he found us alert and we managed to block his political schemes.
No wonder, his only experience now, is in presiding over a stinking City full of portholes and galvanizing political capital out of death like the recent one of Kiteezi where he is directly responsible but only collect media to cry every day.
By the way, We saw Gen. Salim Saleh threatening to withdraw his support for him. When did ‘sworn ’members of Opposition like the Hon. Lukwago begin surviving on support from Gen. Salim Saleh President Museveni’s young brother?.
Isn’t this the same support that will be transferred to the ‘new Party’ in the offing under the Stewardship of Hon. Lukwago?
Wasswa Biriggwa
Has admitted to meeting Mr.Museveni in a deal cutting mission and yet continues to receive praises at Katonga
These political clowns with their dikuula theatrics play on the graves of those who played a great role in the formation of this great Party the likes of Spencer Turwomwe, Louis Otika, the Hon. Peter Omollo, Hon. Sam Kalega Njuba, Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu, Owek. Kamala Kanamwangi, Hon. Vincent Kimera, Owek. Bbaale Bwanika, Hon. John Arumadri among others may their souls rest in eternal peace. Infact they must be turning in their graves in wonder!
In conclusion, We would like to assure Millions of our supporters and sympathizers both locally and abroad, that under my stewardship, the Party shall remain alive, we shall continue upholding our shared values and expanding the spirit of One Uganda, One People far and beyond.
That the mission and vision that our colleagues who died in the struggle pursuing will never be betrayed. We in the leadership, we are not moved by the theatrics of our colleagues in Katonga which has no locus in law.
We are currently pre – occupied with the grassroots and countrywide mobilization and recruitment drive that have already been embraced by thousands of our supporters across the country. We have seen Party enthusiasm come in large numbers to receive us in Soroti, Mbale, Kasese, Arua, Gulu, Lugazi and the mobilization caravan is headed to Jinja City this Weekend on 24th August 2024.
Thank you for your kind attention
Patrick Oboi Amuriat
PARTY PRESIDENT
For God & my Country
One Uganda, One People.