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LIVE: Amuriat in early lead at FDC elections

Amuriat campaigning Friday at Namboole. PHOTO @bamulanzeki

Provisional results from 4 of 6 polling stations

Patrick Amuriat   – 107, 111, 111, 101

Mugisha Muntu  – 77, 76, 71, 82

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Vote counting has started at the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) 7th National Delegates Conference, with early reports from Mandela National Stadium Namboole indicating former MP Patrick Amuriat performing better than predicted.

Provisional results indicate Amuriat has got 641 votes from the delegates, edging incumbent Mugisha Muntu who is at 463.

Vying for the top position in Uganda’s leading opposition party are incumbent Rtd Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Patrick Amuriat, Moses Byamugisha and Dan Matsiko.

Amuriat’s candidature has been heavily boosted by what many see as support from the party’s top honcho, former president Kizza Besigye. Another main Amuriat campaigner is FDC mobiliser Ingrid Turinawe, who is very close to Besigye and a key member of the defiance camp.

Another contender also seen as a Besigye loyalist, legislator Mubarak Munyagwa even stepped out of the race to throw his weight (if any) behind Amuriat.

The incumbent Muntu’s campaign has been marred by accusations that he is an NRM mole in FDC, Uganda’s leading opposition party.

“I am a founding member of FDC. In fact, I was one of the people that got the party registered. Once we had done this, we went around recruiting members. It was us that insisted on having Dr. Besigye as our presidential candidate in 2001. Is this what moles do?,” responded Muntu.

Gen Mugisha Muntu campaigning on D-Day (top)  and FDC delegates cheer. PHOTO VIA @bamulanzeki

Muntu replied his critics with more rhetorical questions.

“I have stood for party presidency flag-bearer. The times I lost, I accepted defeat & convinced my fatigued supporters to put the party interests first & support the victor. If my aim was to distablize the party, wouldn’t the logical thing be to claim the elections were rigged?” adding that “Instead, I have consistently sought to bring our party together and ensure that everyone can say what they believe without fear or intimidation. When people say that I am an NRM mole, what exactly do they mean?”

“How does a mole keep a party united,” he asked, ” even when some would want to see a clear split? Why would a ‘mole’ continue to be at the helm of a party that is causing the regime more grief each day? Of what benefit have all our achievements been to my alleged employer?”

Under the party constitution, Muntu can still contest to be flag-bearer but a loss of the party presidency will have weakened him. On the other hand, Besigye can still challenge Muntu for the flag-bearer ticket.


5 comments

  1. Muntu has been atraitor to our country Uganda by being used by the silly man M7 who is undemocratic, who has taken the country to the dogs.
    Where are the votes he claimed Obote rigged in the 80 that took him to the bush? We are very awake that M7 only had personal greed for power which he has used to plunder our country Twakowa RIP

  2. this party is dying slow but sure, the fact that they have started putting on red, am sure they are following UPC foot-steps

  3. A change in office is needed even if the incumbent was such a dearling we don’t operate on one person’s ideas no matter how good they’re we need new ideas if we’re to make it

  4. emagu enoch ebansebanse

    i hv anti-fdc bcz of it being domimated by generals moreover frm one side of the country,but nw am aborn again of fdc,am hapy oboi went thru its the happns of teso,eastan,uganda as a country.For God and my country uganda.

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