Kaabong: FDC accuses President Museveni of bribing their candidate

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has accused President Museveni of bribing their candidate for the Kaabong woman MP by-elections Adyeke Judith Nalibe which lured her to quit the race.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters on Monday, the party’s spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda revealed that the party had received information that Adyeke was bribed by the president to quit the race.

“Our candidate was controversially negotiated out of the race. We received news at the party headquarters on Wednesday 11th September 2019 that our candidate Adyeke Judith Nalibe who was contesting for Kaabong Woman MP had started behaving strangely,” he said.

He noted their candidate had started not to move with the opposition team that is campaigning in other positions in the district.

He said the information that was got through the local leadership in the area described the strange behaviour of their candidate which showed that she had already quit the race.

Ssemujju said although investigations are still ongoing, they have gathered that Adyeke held a meeting with Museveni who offered her money to quit the race.

He said Adyeke was also promised a job and yet she was fully sponsored by FDC.

“She did not inform the party. We only learnt that she is now behaving strangely and that she had run away to meet Museveni. Now she has written to the Electoral Commission seeking to withdraw from the race,” he said.

He noted that the move by NRM to bribe their candidate is totally unacceptable and such action will not be tolerated by the party.

“This is a bad practice by Museveni and NRM and we strongly condemn such actions because candidates sponsored by a party should not withdraw," he said.

He said that FDC has already written to the Electoral commission to stop the move because they won’t accept their candidate to withdraw at the last moment.

“We have already taken a decision. This matter will not end with electoral commission so if they disqualify our candidate we shall petition court,”he said.

In a letter addressed to Electoral Commission, Adyeke noted that she was never interested in the race and requested that she pulls out of the contest.

Ssemujju said it is so embarrassing that Adyeke would allow such a bribe despite being sponsored by FDC party that paid her nomination fees and printed her posters.

“In a by election, we almost fully sponsor our candidates," he said.