FDC rift prevails as poll report out soon

By Jeff Andrew Lule

The recommendations and findings by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) reconciliation committee on November 2012’s party elections are expected to be released next month.

Party members are eagerly waiting for the outcome following a 30-day inquiry into the controversies that arose from the polls held last year.

Current party president Maj Gen. Mugisha Muntu beat his closest challenger who is the Leader of Opposition, Nandala Mafabi, and a third contestant Tororo County MP Godfrey Ekanya.

Mafabi’s team disputed the results and conduct of the whole process, citing malpractices perpetrated by Muntu’s supporters who were also senior party members.

The group refused to return to the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi and filed a petition to the party chairman, Sam Njuba seeking redress over their grievances.

The aggrieved camp refused to work with the new leader’s team unless their grievances are solved in an open and transparent manner through an independent committee.

Though Mafabi conceded defeat and promised to work with Muntu after elections, he remains silent to-date on the matters raised by his team.

The probe team

In efforts to resolve the friction, Njuba instituted a team to start the investigations into the various claims by Mafabi’s group.

The six-man committee headed by a prominent city lawyer, Ladisluas Rwakafunzi , completed its inquiries and has embarked on a drafting process to file its recommendations which will be handed over to the party chairman.

The findings are expected to be presented to the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) on April 4.

The report will determine whether or not the regulations regarding electioneering processes, party code of conduct and any other instruments prescribed in the party constitution were breached by persons named in the memorandum (petition).

Though the aim of the committee was to reconcile the aggrieved parties, it begs several questions since the demands which were forwarded by the complainants were not respected.

In their petition presented to the committee by Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga, petitioners demanded for the resignation of the party secretary general, Alice Alaso and electoral boss, Dan Mugarura pending investigations which Alaso rejected strongly.

They argued that it would be meaningless to work with Muntu when Alaso and Mugarura are still in office, since they were in charge of the process.

They also wanted Alaso to explain why she took sides, her role in the election process and why she appointed her relative Peter Otukei to be at the electoral desk. The group also alleges that she voted five times.

The team alleges that the secretary general hijacked and monopolized the whole process in favor of “her candidate” [Muntu] and used a personal printer to print her own tags for her observers, agents and guests.

Alaso’s submission

Alaso rubbished Mafabi’s petition, saying it was fake and of no substance, adding that the entire petition was based on allegations which the group could not back with evidence.

Rwakafunzi asked Alaso to step aside, which she rejected. “I cannot just step aside, for them to go jubilating when they have already tarnished my name,” was her stand.

She denied taking sides as alleged by Mafabi, explaining that she only played her role as the chief accounting officer of the party.

“I told Mafabi that I would not vote for him on a personal note at his home where I had paid a visit to his wife. While there, he disclosed to me his intentions of standing and I openly told him that I would not vote for him. I voted one of the two other candidates and it’s private,” she revealed.

She acknowledged Otukei as her relative but said he had been recruited by the National Executive Committee like any other member.

She also refuted allegations that Mafabi had donated sh700m to the party, saying that as a chief accounting officer, she never received the alleged funds nor get a receipt.

Alaso demanded that Mafabi proves that she voted five times as he alleged in different sections of the media after elections.

“I have a name to protect among my people, family and as an MP. I am ready to resign for good if they bring proof and if not, I demand for a public apology to clear my name,” she said.

She made it clear that she voted twice for herself and a proxy vote for Mununi Mulera for the Canadian Chapter.

A proxy vote is a ballot cast on behalf of another.

Mafabi declined to comment, saying it was not his petition but for his supporters.

Rubaramira said they are not fighting anyone in the party but only want transparency to clean the party. “One person is not bigger than the party and if she does not step aside, we know what to do,” he said.

The inquiries were also undermined by the withdrawal of witnesses of Mafabi, who insisted that their testimonies might provoke Alaso into vengeance.

The witnesses vainly demanded for the access of the documents in Alaso’s office to be presented as evidence.

Out of the 14 witnesses who had been lined up for cross-examination, only five appeared, at the request of the committee.

Muntu and Mugarura  

Muntu and Mugarura both attributed the mess in the party to an invisible hand trying to destroy the party.

“We know some people out there are trying to use our people indirectly to kill our party but we are watching,” they both noted in their submissions.

The party leader apologized to members over the wrongs committed by the members of his campaign team during campaigns.

Mugarura also denied allegations of cheating raised by the complainants, saying they were baseless. He said there were only eight delegates who could not make it on the election date and they requested the EC to allow people to vote on their behalf, as proxy voters.

He stressed that all allegations by Mafabi are directed to misguide the public to believe that the exercise was not free and fair.

The Mafabi group says they are waiting for the outcome of the report recommendations before taking another step.