Dozens of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leaders and influential members in Ankole Sub-region have joined the new party that Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu is forming after relinquishing their party positions.
Led by Mr Daniel Kafureeka who was the FDC general secretary, the group of over 60 members made the pronouncement in Mbarara District on Friday.
Mr Kafureeka read the resignation statement with names of 61 people they say will be joining Gen Muntu.
“We, FDC leaders of Ankole Sub-region gathered here, hereby inform members of the press and the general public that with effect from today, have officially resigned our leadership positions in FDC party and therefore have ceased to be members of the Forum for Democratic Change,” the statement seen by this reporter notes.
“We feel greatly humbled to inform you that we as gathered here today, going forward, we will be part of ‘The New Formation’ a political platform in the process of forming a new political party by December 25, 2018.”
The leaders are from different districts from the sub region including Mbarara, Kiruhura, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Bushenyi, Isingiro and Sheema.
The statement was signed by Mr Kafureeka, Mr Rutahwaire Anthony, FDC chairperson for Isingiro North Constituency; Mr Mweteise Bintabara, FDC chairman for Kiruhura and Ms Mary Francis K. Semambo, the FDC general secretary for Mbarara Municipality.
The rest have their names listed, though about 43 people, including FDC chairman for Ntungamo District George Karamira, FDC chairman for Rubirizi Moses Muzoora and FDC Youth leader for Bukanga Sub-county Sadat Kashaki, attended the press conference at Freedom Gardens and expressed their support for Gen Muntu’s The New Formation.
The group said there have been differences in strategies that the party should follow in a bid to capture power and liberate the nation.
They said while the group that supported Mr Patrick Amuriat in the 2017 election for party president campaigned under strategy of ‘defiance’, those who supported Gen Muntu campaigned on the platform of ‘party development and defiance.’
“In the end, the defiance group emerged victorious in the November 24, 2017 elections.
Gen Muntu conceded defeat and accepted the results…a significant number of people who believed in both strategies felt uncomfortable in a party pursuing a sole strategy as a means of capturing power and transforming this nation,” they said in their statement.
“As leaders, we have tried everything humanly possible to engage our fellow leaders from the defiance group on how best we can harmonise these tendencies and be accommodated within the party but all our efforts yielded no fruits,” they added.
Moments after announcing his decision to quit FDC, Gen Mugisha who had been the party president promised last month that he will be launching his new political party before the end of 2018.
The former FDC leader says the new formation will be open to collaboration with the other political parties, including FDC.
“We are now making contacts with different interest groups who believe in what we believe in. After the process of formation in the next two or two and a half months, we intend to launch the party with its name, colours, symbols, working values and objectives,” Muntu said then.
Full statements below:
