FDC wrangles escalate as Lukwago faction denies Amuriat group access to party funds

Kampala, (UG): The wrangles in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) have taken a new twist with the Katonga Road faction led by Interim party President Erias Lukwago blocking Patrick Amuriat’s Najjanankumbi group from accessing the party’s bank finances.

Erias Lukwago announced on Monday, September 25, 2023, that they (Katonga faction) have notified all banks to deny party president Patrick Amuriat and Secretary General Nandala Mafabi access to the party’s banks.

“We have issued communications to the banks about the management of the accounts of the party,” he said.

Lukwago who was speaking at a press conference on Monday, September 25, said they have also filed a suit against the party’s electoral chairperson, Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda for conducting electoral processes without being elected or appointed by the National Delegates Conference.

“We filed a civil suit in the High Court against Toterebuka for holding elections as chief electoral commissioner of the party without being duly elected or appointed by the national delegates conference as stipulated in the party’s constitution,” he said.

The Katonga faction also accuses Toterebuka of rolling out the election roadmap without the approval of the national executive committee.

Last week, Toterebuka duly nominated Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Nandala Mafabi to contest for the positions of party president and secretary general, respectively.

Their nomination came days after party chairman Wasswa Birigwa had called for a delegates’ conference during which party activities were halted and interim leadership was instituted.

The rival groups have been at war since 2022 over a whooping sh7bn funds alleged to have been sent by the State House to the party in the run-up to the 2021 general elections.

However, the suspended Secretary General of Uganda’s prominent opposition party, Nandala Mafabi has denied the charge and instead accused Besigye of trying to undermine the party’s structures for his selfish ends.

Mafabi and Amuriat accuse Dr Besigye of wanting to destroy FDC because its leaders refused to endorse his plans to ally with the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) against President Museveni’s regime.