FDC crisis deepens with competing delegates conferences

The claim is that Mr Birigwa failed to inform key party administrators.

According to Mr Kigonyogo, Mr Birigwa was expected to inform top party administrators, including the treasurer, who is responsible for the budget and the secretary general, who handles administrative matters for all delegates’ conferences organised by the party.

“The party administrators were not informed, hence the extraordinary conference was not approved. He is supposed to provide the party with the number of delegates expected to attend the meeting,” Mr Kigonyogo said.

Mr Birigwa had, in a notice dated August 18, called for an extraordinary National Delegates Conference, which, as per the letter seen by Daily Monitor, is scheduled for September 19. This is less than a month period before the second National Delegates Conference convened by the party’s electoral commission chairperson, Mr Boniface Tuterebuka, set for October 6.

While the two conferences have different agendas, both require substantial budgets to accommodate more than 1,400 delegates from various parts of the country. This has left party supporters uncertain about the two competing events.

The agenda for the extraordinary conference called by Mr Birigwa involves receiving reports from the party chairman, party president, secretary general, and the treasurer general. This will be followed by plenary sessions, resolutions, and adjournment.

In contrast, the second National Delegates Conference aims to elect the National Executive Committee leadership, including the party president, deputy presidents, and the secretary general.

Mr Kikonyogo highlighted the party’s lack of capacity to host both events, which demand significant budgets.

“We urge our chairperson to meet with other party leaders to harmonise these meetings. Funding his conference raises concerns about the source of the money,” Mr Kigonyongo added.

According to him, although the party’s constitution empowers the chairperson to call an ordinary conference, he must collaborate with party administrators responsible for the conference budget.

When contacted, Mr Birigwa referred us to Ms Salaam Musumba, as the acting spokesperson of the party. However, repeated calls to Ms Musumba’s phone went unanswered.

But in an earlier interview with NTV, Ms Musumba said the party chairperson has a right to call for the extra-ordinary meeting.

“The chairperson has the right to convene the meeting. We had to call for this special meeting to save the party from the ongoing fights, which are not ending,” Ms Musumba said.

These are, however, against the National Delegates Conference called by Mr Bamwenda. But Mr Kigonyogo said this conference will take place because it was approved by the party.

Background

FDC is grappling with internal disputes stemming from allegations of improper financial transactions raised by the party spokesperson, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju, and other senior party colleagues against Mr Amuriat and party Secretary General Nandala Mafabi.

The situation has thrown FDC into upheaval, with the Ssemujju faction accusing the Najjanankumbi team of receiving billions of shillings from State House in the run-up to the 2021 general elections, a claim they strongly deny.

At the same time, other party members partly attribute FDC’s troubles to the two power centres; one at Najjanankumbi where the party offices are, and the Katonga Road offices where the influential founding president, Dr Kizza Besigye, runs a parallel political operation.