By Adam Mayambala
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), once Uganda's most formidable opposition party’s turmoil reached a boiling point as district leaders, including chairpersons and secretaries from 113 districts, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to their party Chairman, Wasswa Birigwa, demanding the cancellation of an Extraordinary Meeting scheduled for September 19, 2023.
Failure to comply, they warned, could lead to Birigwa's impeachment.
The district leaders, who were recently elected, made their stance clear in a petition read by Joseph Senzoga, the party chairperson for Masaka city. The petition implored the party's chairman to "stop his illegal action (meeting) by issuing a notice to cancel the so-called extraordinary within 48 hours."
The leaders insisted that if Birigwa refused to cancel the meeting within the stipulated timeframe, they would petition the party president to exercise his powers under Article 28(3)(b)(iii) of the party constitution, which allows the president to recommend disciplinary action against any member who neglects their duties and absconds from party business and meetings without reasonable excuse.
In such a recommendation, the president may also appoint an interim replacement pending approval by the relevant body.
The district leaders did not stop there; they also called for disciplinary actions against Birigwa's deputies, including Salaamu Musumba, the National vice-chairperson for Eastern Uganda, and Rolland Mugume Kaginda, the Vice-chairperson for Western Uganda.
Their alleged transgressions included failure to support the implementation of National Council resolutions on party structural elections and the special elder's committee report, as well as a failure to attend meetings with the party's working committee.
Furthermore, the district leaders supported the Party Electoral Commission's decision to convene a meeting of delegates to elect National Executive Committee (NEC) members. This move had faced sharp criticism from opposition leaders who labeled it as illegal.
"We are aware the party Leadership at the National level expires on the 7th of October 2023. The party chairman, instead of supporting the election process completion, decided to call a parallel illegal extraordinary meeting, yet the resolutions of the 16th National Council held on 28th July 2023 directed the party EC to conduct elections from village to national level, which Birigwa and his group call sham but we shall not entertain such," Senzoga revealed.
Senzoga also conveyed the district leaders' endorsement of the Party Electoral Commission's decision to hold a meeting on the 6th of October 2023 to conclude the election process by electing the party National Executive Committee members.
Meanwhile, as these developments unfolded, other party members were seen picking nomination forms for the 38 NEC positions. Notable among them was Geoffrey Ekanya, the treasury general of the party, vying for the same position, alongside Robert Centenary and John Kikonyogo, both vying for the role of secretary of publicity, commonly known as Party spokesperson, a position currently occupied by Ssemujju Nganda.
Interestingly, no leaders from the opposing faction were observed at the party headquarters to collect forms, and the nomination process has been extended until the 15th of September.
The crisis within the FDC deepens, with uncertainty surrounding the future of its leadership as the clock ticks down to critical elections in October 2023. The ultimatum issued to Wasswa Birigwa adds another layer of tension to an already tumultuous political landscape.