September 15, 2023
KAMPALA – The High Court in Kampala has taken an interim order halting the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) extra-ordinary national delegates conference, which was scheduled for the coming week, following a petition from three aggrieved members.
Arafat Ntale Mwanja, Jamal Wante, and Marlick Ssazi filed a lawsuit against the FDC, its President Patrick Oboi Amuriat, and Secretary-General Nathan Nandala Mafabi, seeking to block the conference. The event was not sanctioned by the FDC leadership, which has distanced itself from the gathering organized by the party’s National Chairperson, Ambassador Wasswa Birigwa.
The court, presided over by Justice Esta Nambayo, granted an interim order by consent of the parties involved. Counsel Julius Galisonga, representing the respondents, indicated that they did not oppose the application for an injunction. Consequently, the court approved the application as requested, pending the resolution of the main application.
The aggrieved FDC members argue that the planned delegates’ conference does not comply with democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution. They also contend that it violates the Political Parties and Other Organizations Act of 2005 and the provisions of the FDC constitution. As a result, they are seeking a court order to halt the conference until the appropriate FDC organs and offices fully comply with the law.
The lawsuit comes at a time when the FDC is grappling with internal divisions, with one faction led by Patrick Amuriat and Nandala Mafabi and another led by the founding party president, Kizza Besigye, along with MPs Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and Erias Lukwago. The factions have been embroiled in disputes, including allegations of financial impropriety.
This legal development underscores the complexities faced by political parties in maintaining unity and adherence to democratic principles in a dynamic political environment. It remains to be seen how the FDC will resolve its internal disputes and move forward as it prepares for its delegates’ conference.
