The FDC party president, the Secretary General and the National Council Chairman have offered to run for the party flagbearer for 2021 general elections after their Godfather Kizza Besigye bowed out of the race.
What began as a joke, has left the party with no option but to request senior leaders of the party including Patrick Oboi Amuriat (president), Budadili West Hon Nathan Nandala Mafabi (secretary general) and Amb. Wasswa Birigwa to pick nomination forms.
Mr Amuriat, on Tuesday announced he will be picking nomination forms on Wednesday (Tomorrow) and returning them on August 26, while Mr Mafabi is yet to announce when he will pick forms.
Although the FDC leadership admitted Amuriat will contest for the race, the deputy spokesperson John Kikonyogo declined to mention other two aspirants.
However, an insider in FDC told this website that Mafabi and Birigwa offered to fight for the party flag.
“I have this day of 17th August, 2020 taken a conscious decision to offer myself as candidate for President of Uganda. For this to happen I must subject myself to the internal selection process of my party, the Forum for Democratic Change, FDC.
Accordingly, I will be picking and completing the FDC forms for Expression of Interest tomorrow Wednesday 19th August, 2020 at 10:30 am and returning Nomination forms on 26th August, 2020 at 11 am.
I count on you all to offer prayers and all forms of support as I make this journey to become the highest ranking servant of this country,” Mr Amuriat announced.
Moses Byamugisha, the FDC youth has already picked Presidential nomination forms from Electoral Commission and will contest as an independent candidate.
The biggest opposition party has in the recent past suffered a huge blow after its long serving leader and founder Besigye declared he will not challenge President Yoweri Museveni in the coming election.
Besigye reasons that his participation in the election doesn’t cause an impact since the country is in the hands of a “junta.”
But also he had been pressurized to pave way for new opposition leaders like Hon Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
Opposition supporters argued that after failing to remove Museveni for four times, it was time for Kizza Besigye to endorse a new face.
His departure has left FDC stuck, and at some point the party embarked on a hunt for a candidate who would negotiate a transition with NRM.
But Amuriat’s announcement clearly indicates that still the party failed to get that candidate.
At some point, speculation was high that the new FDC member Erias Lukwago would be handed the flag for 2021.
Efforts to get a comment from Hon Mafabi and Mr Birigwa were unsuccessful as they couldn’t pick our repeated calls.
