FDC suspends 13 members for burning Amuriat posters

The Masindi District Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party executive committee has suspended 13 of its party members who two weeks ago took part in burning of campaign posters, including those of their 2021 presidential candidate Patrick Oboi Amuriat 

The move was spearheaded by Masindi District FDC party chairperson Fredrick Banage Bitaamale who said the suspension was response to “violation of party values and article 5 of the FDC constitution.”

According to him, “any actions contrary to the party's interests warrant disciplinary measures, including excommunication.”

"They are no longer members of our party. Their actions of burning posters of our 2021 candidate (Amuriat) are something we can't tolerate as a party. We have suspended them as a way of upholding party values and discipline,” Bitaamale said at the weekend.

He added that individuals who burnt the posters are purportedly affiliated with Dr Kizza Besigye and other party members supporting the Katonga faction.

“Those individuals' acts do not represent the party's official stance,” he noted of the poster burning incident which took place at the FDC offices in Nyangahya Cell, Masindi Municipality.

When asked to comment on the matter, former Masindi District FDC General Secretary Augustus Bigirwenkya said they burnt the posters protesting over allegations of corruption involving Amuriat.

Bigirwenkya and his group insisted that Amuriat could have received money from President Museveni which is against FDC expectations.

"We only burnt pictures of the 2021 campaigns from our party offices because we could not condone individuals known to have received money from President Museveni, an act of corruption we don’t tolerate as FDC party members," Bigirwenkya maintained.

He emphasized that Masindi FDC party is aligning its allegiance with the Katonga FDC faction.

Bigirwenkya added that: “Our decision also stemmed from a March 6 planning meeting in Masindi which resolved not to keep pictures of candidates from the Najjanankumbi faction.”