Former presidential candidates Dr Kizza Besigye and Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine have been holding talks to iron out their political differences with the view of forming a powerful alliance that would give an NRM candidate a run for his money.
These talks have been underway since 2021, according to opposition officials.
The source added: “So, if the two come together, the NRM will be overstretched and overwhelmed.”
Speaking at the Katonga Group’s National Council meeting at Besigye’s office along Katonga road in Kampala, Besigye denied hatching a secret plan with NUP.
“You have been hearing that we want to sell FDC to NUP, why would we do that? How immune is NUP from becoming FDC?” wondered Besigye.
“You think what ate FDC cannot eat NUP? It can or ANT or the other parties, so we must guard against the propaganda, especially you people from the district,” he emphasised.
However, ChimpReports understands that the plan of merging opposition forces was rejected by the current FDC leadership, leading to sharp disagreements with Dr Besigye.
FDC’s Secretary General Nandala Mafabi has repeatedly told party leaders that “FDC will never back Bobi Wine; it should be the other way round.”
During the 2021 election campaigns, Besigye met Mafabi in Kyambogo, where the former presidential candidate discussed details of his quiet engagements with NUP.
“After we asked Besigye for the Shs 300m meant for our party agents across the country, he came to my office in Kyambogo and instead sold us the idea that he had met with members of NUP and that they had agreed that NUP was to pay for agents where it was strong and FDC should pay agents where they were also strong,” Mafabi told the media last year.
“We then asked Besigye how we were going to gauge strength in those places. This did not go down well with him and he has never returned,” said Mafabi.
He added: “We have worked with him (Besigye) for so long; we know his works and his tricks, and he is seeking an alliance with NUP. Our party Constitution doesn’t allow someone to contest for the national presidency twice, so his time has ended, and he can’t become party president anymore.”
“If he (Besigye) wanted to stand for President in the 2026 general elections, he would do it as an individual, not with the FDC flag. But even if he wanted that (to contest for President) he would come to the party and see what we can do about it, not attempting to destroy a party that was built by the blood and tears of Ugandans,” Sabiiti added.
Sabiti, who is among the founders of the Reform Agenda that birthed FDC, belongs to the intellectual class that laid the foundation for the growth of FDC in the early 2000s.Sources insist Besigye has not abandoned the idea of the opposition pulling resources and conducting joint rallies in the upcoming elections to challenge the ruling party.
Splinter party
Nevertheless, realising that the dream of uniting FDC and NUP to field a single candidate against NRM would not be possible under the reign of the Nandala Mafabi and Patrick Amuriat, the Katonga group now wants to form a splinter party.
The Katonga Group earlier this week said it was considering a proposal to form a new political party that would see a faction led by Dr Besigye and Erias Lukwago officially part ways with the mainstream FDC party in Najjanankumbi.
Lukwago presented a report at the National Council meeting of the Katonga group that during their routine National Executive Committee meetings, some members suggested they should consider getting a new brand and move on with the vision of building a new Uganda with new institutions.
Lukwago also mentioned that there have also been calls for reconciliation from the Najjanankumbi-based faction of the party.
“As NEC, we have been categorical in our response that for this proposal to be considered, the imposters must denounce their nefarious conduct and scandals, which include the coup they are perpetrating, the chaos and mayhem they have caused at Najjanankumbi, and apologise for the public odium they have invited to the party. They must stop holding out as leaders of the party and vacate Najanankumbi. If they are to be retained as members of the party, they have to go through a cleansing and exorcising process,” he added.
This would be the second party to emerge from FDC after Mugisha Muntu’s Alliance for National Unity.
In 2018, Muntu quit FDC, a party he helped found in 2004.
Several other influential figures have left FDC in the past two decades including Joyce Ssebugwawo, Beti Kamya, Amanya Mushega, Alice Alaso, Gerard Karuhanga, Augustine Ruzindana and Beatrice Anywar (Mama Mabira) among others, further weakening the once powerful political party.
Matters were worsened by reports that FDC leaders, Nandala Mafabi and Patrick Amuriat received billions of shillings from State House in the run-up to the 2021 general elections. The duo denied the charges and were cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal party investigation.
Apart from the suggestion to form a break-away party, the Lukwago report includes the need to continue fighting for FDC and rescuing it from what they described as capture.
They also suggest the need to denounce the FDC party-related activities and to form a pressure group akin to the Reform Agenda.
Speaking to the available options as suggested in the Lukwago report, Dr. Besigye said that all options are applicable.
On the option of forming a social movement, Besigye said that building a social movement would entail abandoning elections, something he cannot object to.
However, Besigye encouraged all delegates to take the time to go across the country and solicit feedback from people before gathering to make a final decision. He feels that a decision based on public input will be sound in the long run.
The Council resolved to postpone the initial 19th March Delegates Conference and provide delegates at least two months to travel across the country collecting feedback and ideas from other FDC members on which option to choose.
source by Chimp Reports
