Mbale, Uganda: The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has fronted its Secretary General, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, as the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2026 general elections, following a high-level agreement that saw party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat step aside.
The decision, reached on Tuesday during a closed-door session involving senior elders and regional leaders from Bugisu and Teso, reportedly persuaded Amuriat, who led the FDC in the 2021 elections, to drop his bid in favour of Nandala, a longtime party stalwart and seasoned legislator from Budadiri West.
“It’s true, Nandala is our flag bearer and he will be announced to the public today,” a senior insider revealed on condition of anonymity.
The official announcement of Nandala as the FDC Presidential candidate would later be made today (Wednesday, July 30) at an emergency press briefing held at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, a Kampala suburb.
DailyExpress understands that the decision to back Nandala, (who had already declared his presidential ambitions in 2023), was brokered in the interest of unity and strategic momentum, following weeks of internal negotiation. “All I can say is that Nandala is our man and that is it. For the details, wait for the official party communication,” the official noted.
Although FDC’s official spokesperson, John Kikonyogo, could not be reached when we published this story, he had earlier confirmed to the media that senior party elders were working to build consensus around a single candidate.
“There have been engagements, and we are confident the outcome will strengthen our electoral posture,” Kikonyogo said last week.
Amuriat, who took over the party presidency in 2017, had been expected to seek a second run against President Museveni, but sources say pressure from regional blocs in the east, especially from Bugisu leaders, tilted the balance in favour of Nandala.
Nandala now enters the 2026 presidential race alongside President Yoweri Museveni, who was nominated by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to extend his 40-year rule; National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu; and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) founder Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, who was confirmed as a presidential candidate by the ANT electoral commission last week, UPC’s Jimmy Akena, and several other candidates.
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