‘We won’ ;FDC goes defensive for losing in Municipality elections

Forum for Democratic Change(FDC) has said despite not getting any candidate elected for Member of Parliament in the recently concluded new municipality polls, they achieved a lot out it.

Elections held on Friday in the newly created municipalities saw the ruling NRM party win four out of the six parliamentary seats in Nebbi, Sheema,Kotido and Ibanda whereas JEEMA won in Bugiri and UPC took Apac .

The biggest opposition political party FDC didn’t win any seat in the municipality parliamentary seats.

Addressing a weekly news briefing at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi on Monday, FDC president Patrick Amuriat Oboi said there is something to rejoice about in the municipality polls for their party.

“As it turned out, we were unable to make it as our candidates lost under different circumstances but we achieved a lot at lower level in the municipalities like mayors,”Amuriat said.

“It is not a min achievement because leaders at parish and division levels like councilors are equally important in our struggle.”

Bugiri

The Independent Electoral Commission on Saturday morning declared JEEMA president and lawyer Asuman Basalirwa as the duly elected Member of Parliament for the newly created Bugiri Municipality constituency.

The results indicated that FDC’s Eunice Namatende had been left for dead by Basalirwa.

Many had tipped Namatende to win the election but according to the results, she lost to even NRM’s John Francis Oketcho who came second by over 2000 votes.

However, according to the FDC president, there is some achievement to rejoice about because the opposition party stopped the ruling NRM from taking those seats unopposed, a thing he said is another achievement from the Friday polls countrywide.

“If we didn’t maintain presence, the NRM would go unopposed .We are in this struggle not for small gains but to free Ugandans from the NRM yolk.”

He insisted that by having two candidates for the opposition was normal because competition is health and that it happens everywhere.

Amuriat said it encouraging that the party despite not winning parliamentary seats in Apac and Kotido, they were able to get lower leaders in the same areas.

“We are a proud party because of what we did. There is nothing like losing an election. We raise up and move on,” Amuriat said.