Amuriat, Biriggwa ready to battle for FDC presidential flag

POLITICS   2021 ELECTIONS

After 21 days of countrywide campaign meetings, the contest for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party presidential flagbearer ends today.

Unlike in the previous years where individual candidates freely traversed districts to canvass for votes, this time the candidates were holding joint campaigns organised by the party's electoral commission.

The candidates, including Ambassador Wasswa Birigwa (national party chairman) and Eng. Patrick Amuriat Oboi (party president), have been going around the county meeting party delegates in the 21 party subregions.

Today, the delegates are to decide on the most suitable candidate to carry the party flag ahead of the 2021 presidential elections.

The candidates will also face off before the national council (NC), as a climax for their campaigns.

The council comprises district chairpersons, MPs, mayors, LC5 chairpersons, youth and women leagues, eminent persons and elders.

We are ready

The party deputy spokesperson, John Kikonyogo, said FDC is ready for the exercise to elect the flagbearer.

"We want to assure Ugandans that by the end of the day, they will have known the FDC presidential candidate. All our candidates are suitable, but we have to pick one," he said.

Kikonyogo explained that all council members will vote from the party headquarters at Najjanankumbi in Kampala, where they will be converging for various activities during the election process to decide on the flag-bearer.

"The district chairpersons who will be attending the NC will first convene delegates in their respective districts for a smooth exercise," he said.

Kikonyogo noted that elections will be conducted in the various districts guided by the party electoral commission (EC).

The party has 1,210 delegates countrywide.

"The voting will start at the same time in all districts and results will be announced by the electoral officers in the various districts.

The results will be later sent to the main EC offices, where they will be tallied and announced by the chief electoral officer, then go to the NC," he said.

"But these candidates will also be given time to campaign before the council in the morning before the voting process commences," he added.

This is going to be the first time the leading opposition party will be fielding a new face in the national presidential race.

In all the past three multi-party elections, the party has been fronting the former party leader and political activist, Col (rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye, who opted out of the 2021 election. Besigye first challenged his former boss, President Yoweri Museveni, for the country's top position in 2001 before multi-party politics was restored in the country.

Others seeking to contest in the 2021 presidential election include the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag-bearer and incumbent President Museveni, Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform, Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation and over 80 others.

Besigye said he had decided to concentrate on his political activism as his ‘Plan B', but pledged to support any candidate who wins the party flag.

Biriggwa said he will continue pushing for dialogue with the sitting government for a peaceful transition.

He emphasised the need to continuously engage President Museveni in a discourse on the future of the country.

"We need a negotiated settlement with the Government without fighting and it is possible," he said.

Amuriat promised to take forward Besigye's defiance campaign to reclaim what he calls the lost glory of Uganda's democracy. 

He said there is no room for negotiation or compromise with the NRM.