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LIRA - Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) founder, Dr Kizza Besigye, has said he has no interest in contesting for any position in the party, but that all he wants to see is sanity and unity to prevail among its members. (Photo by Joseph Ekol)

Besigye who on Friday, September 1, held a meeting with party delegates from the Lango sub-region at Sun City Hotel in Lira City, said the internal wrangles that have gripped the party may completely tear FDC apart. 

“I have nothing to gain from what is going on, I don’t even intend to seek any flag of FDC to do anything. I am just advising you to attend the delegates’ conference and the deep-seated problem will be resolved,” Besigye explained. 

Much as the once powerful opposition party is teetering on the verge of collapse, Besigye expressed optimism that the wrangles would be resolved if members agreed to attend the delegates' conference. 

He pleaded with the party’s grassroots leaders to embrace the delegate’s conference set for September 19. 

“If you want to solve a problem, never refuse to go to the meeting because when you go to the meeting, all kinds of ideas come out. Those who have wrong information will be helped to get rid of it,” Besigye said. 

“I don’t see any problem whatsoever in going to the delegate conference because that is the supreme organ of the party. If the members in the supreme body say there is no problem, there will be no problem, if they say there is a problem, the problem will be solved,” he added. 

Besigye also expressed fears that if the delegates’ conference flops, then they may not have the FDC party as it was known before. 

Harold Kaija, the FDC deputy secretary general In charge of administration, said the current party's top leadership is very weak and is benefiting only a few individuals at the expense of the grassroots leaders and party members. 

He said FDC receives sh3b from the government and that each district is supposed to get sh1m per month but this money ends in the pockets of the individuals yet grassroots leaders are suffering without even a single coin to rent office space. 

Kaija accused party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat, and secretary general Nandala Mafabi, of turning against Besigye who went through tough situations to bring all of them to fame. 

New Vision also learnt that Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, had earlier on Friday addressed party delegates at the same venue before Besigye’s arrival to address Acholi sub-region delegates in Gulu City before proceeding to Lira. 

Besigye’s remark attracted sympathy from many Lango delegates with some promising to use the next delegates’ conference to push for Amuriat and Nandala’s exit from the party headquarters. 

Sadam Ogwang Lager, the Lira City FDC mobiliser and secretary for sports, said the party could have been infiltrated by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) members who could now be using the Amuriat’s leadership to eject Besigye from the party he founded. 

“What we are seeing in FDC today happened in Uganda People’s Congress, and we saw it happen in the Democratic Party. This calls for a double effort from us at the grassroots to reject such leaders with double standards and move with those who are loyal,” Ogwang said.  

Bonny Ogongson, the Lira City FDC chairman, said they only attended the meeting addressed by Besigye, not any other party leader. 

“As national delegates are going to make a stand on how best the controversy which is threatening to tear the party apart can be resolved,” Ogongson said. 

He insisted that only the chairman of the party’s electoral commission, Waiswa Birigwa, is mandated to convene the meeting for the party and that the rest who are doing the same are fraudsters.