By Our Reporters
Last week 29th November, over 300 delegates comprising the FDC Youth League National Delegates Conference converged at party headquarters Najjanankumbi. The agenda was twofold: force out six YL National Executive Committee members accused of espionage and sabotage in favor of Gen Muntu’s New Formation. The second agenda item was determining the 6 renegade officials’ replacement. Comprising of 20 members in total (minus the 6 that were eventually expelled), NEC first sat and its decisions were later brought to the NDC for ratification. At the end of the day, national Youth League Chairman Idi Ouma was expelled along with 5 others: Zeridah Kakayi (Vice Chair eastern region), Kasule Ismail (VC Western), Izati Khan (Treasurer General), Tonny Eribu (Deputy Mobilizer Eastern) and James Peter Ouma (National Delegate Eastern). Through a consensus decision, Walid Mulindwa who has been Ouma’s deputy became the new FDC YL boss for the remaining 2 years to the 2020 delegates’ conference. Walid was in turn replaced by Robert Mayanja, another diehard supporter and PA to Party President Patrick Oboi Amuriat.
OUMA DEFIANT;
Speaking to this news website, Ouma called his ouster an illegality and said the YL NEC or even NDC has no power to remove him from office. “It has to be a matter of the disciplinary committee of the party and there must be a process to ensure we are not condemned unheard,” said Ouma who was elected in 2015. He said they aren’t yet decided on challenging the decision in court because “nobody has officially written to us meaning we are still in office as far as I’m concerned.” He also said the organizers’ decision to circumvent YL General Secretary Joan Alobo clearly invalidates whatever they decided because she is the one to convene such meetings. He said the fact that many FDC youth leaders, including the likes of Brian Atuheire (renowned for their Muntu resistance) are vehemently opposed to the meeting is proof the matter is about wrong procedure that was followed and has nothing to do with Muntu espionage. Indeed Atuheire, who is FDC YL Chairman for Kanungu district, objected to the proceedings during the meeting. He was okay with the removal from office of Ouma & Co but disagreed when it came to determining new office bearers. Whereas majority opted for consensus, Atuheire wanted proper elections so that positions are competed for. Secretary legal affairs Sophie Waleya explained to Atuheire why voting wasn’t legally possible and then other delegates endorsed her guidance. This angered Atuhaire who grumblingly resumed his seat. He was advised to either go to court or petition national party chairman Wasswa Birigwa. Many thought the matter had been resolved only for Atuheire to surprise them with a strong missive on facebook after the meeting. In his post (on Brian Atuheire Batenda), the defiance icon said what happened was a “Boardroom Resolution” which he called on others to resist and reject. He said he had also been offered the position of YL Chairperson Western region but he declined it because the procedure and principle followed was wrong. Brian Atuheire, who always works well with Ingrid Turinawe and Doreen Nyanjura, didn’t stop there. He went as far as teaming up with like-minded youth leaders and they have formed “Operation Save FDC Youth League,” a pressure group aimed at discrediting Walid Lubega and others who got positions under the new arrangement. On its fliers, Atuheire puts his number (0781651428) ostensibly to ease mobilization. His other colleagues are Abbas Mpanga (YL Chairman Kyankwanzi) and Mabarie Philemon (YL Chairman Masaka). Ouma claims there are other YL NEC members who have since become disgruntled including: Eric Chandi (Chair Northern region), Zaida Ahumuza (Secretary Women affairs), Ibrahim Jauko, Zainab Nabatanzi, Ritah Bira and Henry Mpima the YL Spokesperson. He says they are aggrieved with the procedure because there was no prior notice for the meeting and himself as chairman is mandated to call such a meeting with the backing of his full executive. Zeridah Kakayi said the expulsion was nugatory because she had long left FDC in writing and joined New Formation. She said she had no tears to shed “because there isn’t much in those positions by the way; you don’t earn anything and they are just positions.” On why she left, the Nakawa lady said: “We were suffocated too much as youth league because the SG doesn’t like a vibrant youth league. They purged us from NEC and couldn’t even fund the youth league budget yet they say we are weak because we have no activities.” Her colleague Ismail Kasule was equally indifferent saying he had moved on long time ago into a political marriage with New Formation for which he is already mobilizing. He dared FDC to also commence proceedings to recall him from being a councilor in Hoima “because I was elected on your ticket yet I’m no longer your party member.” He posted all this provocation on social media.
WALID SPEAKS OUT;
Walid denied being a Nandala Mafabi stooge. “That is being unfair to the SG and myself. As we got these positions he was busy in Mbale campaigning to retain the BCU chair and he was nowhere that day at Najjanankumbi. I was put in this chair by the youth and not the SG,” said Walid. “Ouma is contradicting himself because the very YL NDC he is now despising [saying it’s the disciplinary committee to handle him] are the ones who put him in office meaning they have power to oust him.” He also gave reasons why action had to be taken. “They had planned to create political confusion by being paraded as defectors at the New Formation’s inaugural delegates’ conference. They wanted to create an impression FDC is finished because all the YL executive has crossed to New Formation. We knew everything and we have pre-empted them. They can now defect as individuals which of course diminishes their price.” He said that notwithstanding, they had genuine grievances against Ouma including absenting himself from duty for more than one year. “I have been acting as chairman for the Youth League since January because Ouma absented himself since POA became party president. He is nowhere to call and chair meetings and hasn’t been representing us in other party organs where he is supposed to sit as youth league chairman including the Working Committee,” said Walid insisting that Ouma “is naturally lazy and laid back” meaning he can’t excel leading a vibrant youth league similar to what Ugandans expect a major party like FDC to have. He said what they did was legally well fortified as it complied with both the YL and Party constitution which requires two-thirds majority which they had. He rejected Ouma’s claim that Eric Chandiga (YL Chairman Northern region) skipped the meeting because of disgruntlement. “He has always had difficulties travelling to Kampala for YL business and that is well known. He has always been excused from some of these meetings because he is constrained by the distance,” Walid said. He said there is no way the Party would fund a meeting which it wasn’t aware about meaning Ouma’s claim that they are waiting for communication from the party is an exercise in futility. He said the NEC has 20 members majority of whom attended meeting and endorsed action against Ouma. He said all districts and University chapters were represented meaning the decision was final and can’t be impeached on legitimacy or want of it. “The party president opened the meeting and Party Chairman Wasswa Birigwa was with us as well as Rubaga Deputy Mayor Asuman Ntale [who deputized Nasser Mudiobole as YL Chairman]. The party recognized this activity and funded it.” On why they shunned Brian Atuheire’s objection insisting on voting as opposed to consensus, Walid said: “We legally couldn’t elect because we have no valid party EC as per now. It expired on 24th November 2017 the day we elected POA as Party President and any election conducted would be challenged for being illegal and a nullity because it’s only the EC that can conduct valid elections. In fact that is why the Oumas can’t go to court. They were camped at Parliamentary Canteen monitoring the exercise and if we had filled these positions through voting, they would take us to court and the plan was to file immediately. We had our people in their group and new everything.” He says as mandated by the delegates’ conference, the 6th-7th December 2018 National Council meeting (for this week) will approve the new party EC to be chaired by Yusuf Nsibambi deputized by Eastern region’s Richard Kudeba among other regional deputies. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
