FDC is convening its second national delegates’ conference on February 11 -13, mainly to rejuvenate the party by filling positions deserted by party members, especially in western Uganda.

FDC suffered most defections in Western Uganda where many of their officials have rejoined the ruling NRM party.
That is why the FDC National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council adopted a resolution calling for early elections, mainly to fill the gaps. The party had also not conducted elections in some parts of the country since its formation.

President

Although two contenders, Maj. Gen. Gregory Mugisha Muntu (Secretary for Mobilisation) and Abdu Katuntu (Secretary for Internal Affairs) have declared intentions to stand for party president, party insiders say this is a mere publicity stunt to make the process appear democratic. In having Maj. Gen. Muntu contest against Col. Kizza Besigye, FDC wants to make a point that unlike the NRM, the position of party president is open to competition.

What is clear however is that Besigye will retain the presidency and will be the party presidential candidate in 2011.
Muntu’s candidature is simply raising the profile of the FDC delegates’ conference and making the party appear more democratic.
The Bugweri MP, Abdu Katuntu, on the other hand has his eyes on the party’s chairmanship and is according to our sources using the presidency as a bargain.

Secretary General

Some FDC officials are pushing for the restoration of a clause in the constitution to have a secretary general appointed as a full time employee of the party. If adopted, this will rule out current office holder Alice Alaso Asianut from contention.
Alaso, the Woman MP for Soroti, was particularly picked because of the overwhelming support FDC received from Teso. To maintain the party’s presence in Teso, either Alaso will be redeployed in an equally influential role or another politician from the sub-region will be promoted. Some FDC sources say that the party’s deputy President (eastern), Salaamu Musumba, is considering taking over the largely inactive Women League, aiming to revitalise it.

If Musumba went for the FDC Women League, Kumi MP Patrick Amuriat Oboi, would then offer himself to replace her. If Amuriat is elected, then the party would have changed leadership and maintained heavy representation of Teso.

Chairman

The FDC constitution requires that 40% of the posts must be filled by women. Musumba is the only woman among the three deputy presidents. That is why some FDC officials are suggesting that if Musumba is elected to head the Women League, then Alaso or another high profile woman must replace her.
The post of party chairman is likely to generate most heat.
 
FDC’s first chairman, the late Dr. Suleiman Kiggundu, was a Muslim and a Muganda. However, FDC faces an uphill task finding a person of Kiggundu’s credentials, including the ethnic and religious ones, and national clout.
The only Muslim and Muganda FDC leader in the queue for the chairmanship is Kampala lawyer Yusufu Nsibambi, the current vice chairman. Nsibambi is a celebrated lawyer, but outside his legal fraternity, he is hardly known as a politician.

Because of the negative publicity generated by allegations of tribalism by Rubaga North MP, Beti Kamya, FDC looks likely to pick Nsibambi for chairman.
Kamya has run a sustained campaign against her party, claiming that it discriminates against Baganda after her ambitions to become chairperson were watered down.

Should the FDC chose a non-Muganda to replace Kiggundu, Kamya will be seen by some as having been vindicated. Indeed the way the Buganda factor is handled during the FDC conference, has a strong bearing on the future of the party in the central region.
In fact, reshuffling leadership positions during the FDC conference presents the party with its hardest test so far.
 
Onzima factor

FDC also needs to deal with the Alex Onzima (Maracha MP) saga. Onzima, the FDC’s vice chairman (Northern), fell out with the party after he accused its leadership of siding with his Terego counterpart, Kasiano Wadri in their war over the location of the headquarters of the new Nyadri district. Each of these FDC senior leaders wanted the headquarters for the district carved out of Arua to be located in their constituency.

Onzima has since courted President Museveni, even giving him tips on how NRM can recapture West Nile. He started attending all NRM functions in his area while hobnobbing with ruling party officials. While the FDC relieved him of his shadow cabinet post, he still retains his position of vice chairman. He was summoned to the disciplinary committee but declined to attend.

Kampala

Towards the conclusion of FDC’s internal elections, another MP, Nabilah Naggayi Ssempala (Kampala Woman) picked up a quarrel with her party over the manner in which the elections were conducted.
The FDC elections were reportedly marred with irregularities in several areas of Kampala and Masaka. Nabillah seems to have been defeated in this confusion.

She cried foul and gave a media interview criticising her president for failing to guide the party.
This is the kind of political baggage the FDC goes with to its delegates’ conference. Failure to resolve it might perpetually keep it in conflict with itself.
Alaso told The Weekly Observer in an interview that her party is confronted with a harsh political environment, including government hostility and use of paramilitary groups against it and other opposition parties during elections.

As a result, FDC found it difficult to implement some of its programmes such as selling party cards and mobilising supporters. Several FDC leaders, Alaso said, are still commuting between their homes and courts of law to answer politically motivated charges.
She added that pushing for electoral reforms, including disbanding of the Electoral Commission and revising electoral laws, is their biggest challenge this year.

The FDC supporters, Alaso further said, also want an answer as to how to stop rigging in the 2011 elections. “They are asking; what is the value of going back [to vote] when the election is going to be stolen,” she said. Reassuring the voters, Alaso noted, is yet another challenge the party faces.
She also spoke of lack of commitment by some leaders, indiscipline, unguided ambition and lack of resources.
This FDC conference is being sponsored by the Christian Democratic International Centre, an NGO associated with Sweden’s ruling alliance, Swedish International Liberal Centre. The NGO also sponsored the recent conferences of the UPC, JEEMA and CP.

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