The escalating internal battles within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party have forced some of its members to petition the National Council (NC) for the party to have a change in the leadership of Electoral Commission members, party President and Secretary General who they accuse of acting unprofessional, lacking impartiality, lacking integrity and misusing party funds.

The members in question have been identified as Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda-the Acting Chief Electoral Commissioner, Judith Kabanda-a member of the FDC Electoral Commission, Engineer Patrick Amuriat Oboi-the FDC party President, and Nathan Nandala Mafabi-the Secretary General of the party.

“Toterebuka Bamwenda Boniface is the current Acting Chief Electoral Commissioner expected to act impartially, professionally, and with integrity but he is not filling the bill and us the petitioners are petitioning the National Council to relieve them from their duties and a new Chief Electoral Commissioner and Commissioner be put in place,” the petition read in part.

The petitioners have accused Bamwenda of uttering diminishing remarks about the founding party President, Rtd Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifefe and referring to some party members as Katonga group, which the petitioners have regarded as creating hatred and division among FDC members with an aim of weakening the party.

“Referring to some members of the party as Katonga Group and making derogatory remarks on the person of our founding president with a view to causing hatred and divisions among party members. This has an effect on dividing and weakening the party,” the petition read.

They also accused Bamwenda of calling district leaders and soliciting funds for some candidates, carrying out illegalities during the electoral process, running the processes of the part structure formation without approved budgets, thereby leaving individuals to compromise the process, and imposing unauthorized nomination fees to positions of voluntary leadership.

The petitioners have filed a petition for a vote of no confidence in Kabanda for moving around districts within Buganda soliciting support for some intending candidates in the forthcoming elections.

The petitioners who include Kisambira, Dr. George Okello and Hassan Kirunda claim that, the current FDC Electoral Commission is incapable of conducting free and fair elections within the party, and asked for an impartial Commission.

However, Engineer Amuriat and Mafabi have been accused of using the party funds without approved budgets, causing financial liability to the party by accumulating arrears of 50% due to districts that they failed to remit,

They have also been accused of failure as members of NC to implement the Council’s resolution to remit 50% of all incomes into the party to districts, thereby causing a decline in the party performance country wide, lack of transparency in the management and audit of party funds, and declining to issue party cards to members and new recruits thus impeding party membership growth.

Joan Nabatanzi, an FDC member petitioned NC against exclusion of women from the National Delegates Conference sitting, due to take place in November from 23rd-24th, 2023, and has vowed to mobilize the party women to peacefully demonstrate against the unfair roadmap which she called undemocratic and unjust.

The Women National Conference to elect National Women Leaders is scheduled for December 4th and 5th 2023.

The petitioners who among them are Latif Waiswa Maido, Karemire and Charles Nkonge asked NC to have amendments to the party Constitution with a view of restoring deadlocks in the party organs and leadership disagreements.

FDC party has been experiencing a drift and split in the leadership which has seen some party leaders leave the party and either form their own parties or join other political parties. General Mugisha Muntu is one of those that formed his own party (Alliance for National Transformation-ANT), a political party he founded in March 2019, and Rtd Col Dr. Kizza Besigye Kifefe, the founding FDC President who is currently the leader of Red Card Front.