Africa-Press – Uganda. The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has started early identification of candidates from village to the district level in preparations for the forthcoming local council elections and 2026 general elections.
The government postponed the elections of village chairpersons (LC1s and LC11s), whose term of office expired in July 2023 over, among other things, lack of money to hold the polls in the country’s 57,842 villages and 7,431 parishes.
The FDC, Najjanankumbi’s Secretary General, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi, has said the exercise, which has already kicked off in some districts such as Sironko, will last until February 2024.
“We are identifying candidates to contest in the postponed local council elections and also in the 2026 general elections. Whoever wants to contest on the FDC flag at any level must show interest by February 28 or else we will close them out and find other candidates who are committed to work for the FDC party,” he said.
Mr Mafabi added: “The reason for doing this early identification of candidates is to avoid last minute rush. When we do it at the last minute, we get weak candidates and we perform poorly.”
He made the remarks during an interview with journalists at Mountain Inn Hotel in Mbale City shortly after meeting with party leaders from Sironko District, where he is also an MP representing Budadiri West at the weekend.
Mr Mafabi, who is also the chairperson of Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU), said the party is determined to regain its popularity and take over power from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party under President Museveni in the forthcoming 2026 general elections.
In the 2021 general elections, the FDC presidential candidate, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, garnered 337,589 (3.26 percent) votes, placing him in the third place after National Unity Platform’s candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, who got 3,631,437 (35.08 percent) and President Museveni, the eventual winner, secured 6,042,898 (58.38 percent) votes out of the total 18,103,603 registered voters.
“The FDC party is prepared to take power in 2026 and if I get a party flag as its presidential candidate, I will work hard to fight corruption and cut the expenditure so as to recover the economy,” Mr Mafabi said.
The FDC chairperson for Sironko District, Mr Patrick Waniaye, said they have started grass-root mobilisation to ensure that the party reclaims all political positions in 2026.
“We want to see that the entire NRM is swept away from Sironko and Bugisu Sub-region. We can succeed if we capture the local council positions, especially village chairpersons,” he said.
Background
During the 2021 general elections, the NRM performed poorly in Sironko District as FDC won the two parliamentary seats, Budadiri East and Budadiri West, the district chairperson and majority seats in the district council.
The NRM’s Vincent Woboya, who was incumbent MP for Budadiri East, lost to FDC’s Isaiah Ssasaga. The NRM flag bearer for Budadiri West, Mr Kosea Wambaka, also lost to Mr Mafabi.
The Woman MP seat, on the other hand, was won by an Independent, Ms Florence Nambozo against NRM’s Asha Nabulo.
The Opposition also managed to take the district chairperson seat after the FDC candidate, Mr David Livingston Giruli, trounced the NRM flag bearer, Mr Alex Nabende.
Mr Isaiah Ssasaga, the MP for Budadiri East, said they are working to consolidate the FDC party in the entire Bugisu Sub-region.
“We appeal to the local leaders to be active and promote party interests as we push to consolidate our power,” he said.
However, a section of the NRM supporters and leaders in Sironko blame their district chairperson, Mr Suleiman Lumolo, of failing to unite the party and are asking him to step down.
This came after Mr Lumolo’s daughter, Ms Nabulo, who is the NRM flag bearer for Sironko Woman MP seat, went on her knees during council meeting at district headquarters and begged Mr Mafabi to endorse her for the seat come 2026 general elections, something which attracted mixed reactions.
“It’s unfortunate that the NRM flag bearer begged an Opposition leader, Mr Mafabi to endorse her,” Mr Yasin Wasukira, NRM party supporter and a resident of Sironko Town Council, said.
Mr Lumolo denied the allegations and said he has worked tirelessly to unite the party.
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