Mukula invites FDC's Ssemujju to 'see and believe' defectors' details

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party vice chairman for Eastern Uganda, Capt Mike Mukula, has invited Opposition chief whip, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda to pay him a visit and verify the names and subscription forms of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) members that have defected to the ruling party. 

Mukula's invitation comes days after Ssemujju who is Kiira County Member of Parliament called a press conference and said that the NRM boss is parading fake defectors. 

According to Ssemujju, Mukula bought FDC T-shirts and fake membership cards which he gave to the people to pose as defectors. 

"We have learnt that he (Mukula) prints FDC party cards at Nkrumah Road," Ssemujju told journalists last week. 

Speaking at a meeting for NRM zonal co-ordinators at Hotel Africana in Kampala on Saturday, Mukula displayed files with FDC party registration forms which he said had been given to him by the members that were defecting to the ruling NRM. 

Please extend this invitation to Ssemujju to come and see for himself the forms that I have with me. These are forms signed by their district chairpersons. How can he say even these are fake?" Mukula told the meeting.

He said the ruling party is on a mission to uproot the FDC from Teso sub-region and eastern Uganda as a whole. 

"When Besigye (Kiiza) first joined elective politics with his party, his biggest following was from Teso. The FDC sent about 16 MPs to Parliament, the biggest number so far. In subsequent years, the number has dwindled and currently there are only two FDC party members in Parliament," he said, adding that it would take a miracle for the party to have any MP from the sub-region in the House.
 
Mukula, who is vying to retain his central executive committee seat said the next mission that the NRM has is to uproot the FDC from the entire eastern region. 

The FDC has been hit by a wave of defections by senior party members, including Jinja East MP Paul Mwiru, former shadow attorney general, Abdul Katuntu and Aruu County MP Odonga Otto among others. The defections have been associated to a leadership crisis within the party. 

"While the FDC is chasing away members, the NRM is wooing back its members with whom we had differences in opinion. The NRM is built on the foundation of difference in opinion and reconciliation. 

"People err but the important thing is remorse and reconciliation," Mr Mukula said, referring to the 29 MPs who recently met NRM party chairman Yoweri Museveni and sought forgiveness for voting against the party position in Parliament.