The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has postponed nominations for party presidential flag bearer until 3rd and 4th August.
According to sources, this is aimed at giving time to Dr Kizza Besigye express interest in the position.
Addressing the party’s weekly press briefing, the party Spokesperson, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda noted that the decision to have the presidential nominations extended was arrived at after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held last week.
Ssemujju said the nomination exercise was to take place on Thursday and Friday this week yet Friday happens to be Eid celebrations.
“The nominations were supposed to take place on Thursday and Friday but because Friday will be Eid, the National Executive Committee sat here last week decided to postpone it to next week to allow our Muslim brothers and sisters to celebrate Eid that day,” he said in Kampala on Monday.
Ssemujju said that the nominations shall take place on Monday, August 3 and August 4 and will be presided over by the Ag. Electoral Commission Chairman, Toterebuka Bamwenda.
“The exercise will commence at 10:00am and close at 5:00pm, we don’t want anyone to turn up here after the closure, we shall consider you insane, you are all notified that the nominations will be on those days,” he emphasized.
Mr Ssemujju noted that the guidelines for campaigns shall be issued to the aspirants after nomination adding that later on, the Electoral Commission and NEC will sit and set the day for the delegates conference when the Presidential flag bearer shall be elected.
“In FDC unlike other parties, we go through a process, there is no presumptive candidate until we go through that process,” Ssemujju noted.
He added that a member shall qualify for presidential flag bearer only when he or she qualifies for President under the national Constitution.
The party mouthpiece also warned that members to qualify for the position must be fully party card holders who have no pending obligations with the party secretariat.
On the other hand, the FDC Primaries for directly elected Members of Parliament will take place between 16th and 20th August, 2020.
Dr Besigye has kept his FDC party guessing on whether he will contest again after admitting to his confidants that next year’s election is a futility given that aspirants will not be allowed to contest.
