NUP, ANT alliance will lead to the death of FDC, warns Tanga Odoi

Dr. Tanga Odoi has predicted that if National Unity Platform (NUP) continues to work together with the Alliance for the National Transformation(ANT), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) will soon become irrelevant. 

NUP is led by Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and ANT is led by Major General (rtd) Mugisha Muntu.

Odoi, who is the chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission, claimed that FDC is slowly losing support because of its politics of violence and defiance. 

“ANT as a force is winning and the fear within FDC about NUP is the biggest problem they have. ANT’s alliance with NUP, to me, is actually the cracks they now have. If this alliance continues, FDC will be no more,” he said.

Odoi’s remarks followed last week’s Serere County by -election where an independent candidate Emmanuel Omoding, the son of the late Patrick Okabe was declared the winner with 15,638 while his closest rival Phillip Oucor of NRM, got 13,206 votes.

Alice Alaso of ANT got 3,339, Martin Onguruco, an independent, got 2,523, and Emmanuel Eratu of FDC came last with 1,252.

The Serere and Teso sub region at large has been a very strong hold for FDC but it seems the party is slowly losing its grip in the area.

Odoi said because of its bad politics, FDC is wading off, adding that the region is now turning yellow.

“You will see Teso more yellow in 2026. FDC is getting out of Teso. We are going to do our best to turn every area that has been opposition yellow, even Buganda,” he promised.

Odoi stated that FDC’s programmes have not been about serious issues that can help the country to prosper apart from abusing president Museveni.

“The moment you are in the political dispensation, when your political opponent fails, you are okay because you stabilise and stabilise the country. FDC from inception has been a party of disharmony. What have they brought on board as their manifesto apart from (saying that) Museveni’s must go?” he queried while appearing on NBS Morning Breeze on Monday.

Odoi claimed that FDC has totally failed to paint a good picture  and hold on key issues affecting the population apart from their usual politics of defiance which he claimed will soon lead to the death of the party.

“You have just finished political contestation, you defy. Once you have a political party which actually has lost to another within Parliament and within the population, go to the drawing board. Why do political parties disappear because they don’t go to the drawing board,” he said.  

The FDC spokesperson, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda admitted that the party was not well prepared for this by-election, stating that the most important thing is the country not the party.

“We (FDC) didn't know that Hon. Okabe would die. That's why we weren't prepared. You (NRM) who were prepared maybe knew that somebody was going to die,” he said. 

He said the nature and quality of the elections in Uganda should be of great concern to everyone who cares about the future of this country, adding that if the Serere by-election is subjected to a legal process, it will not stand.

“Tomorrow, you can find me in another political party. Political parties for me don’t matter, what matters is the country. Whether FDC remains or dies, the constant one is the country,” he said, adding that it is not true that FDC has no clear programmes for the good of people.

On the issue of unity, Ssemujju said the opposition never announced that they would work together on each and every agenda that comes on board.