MBARARA – The FDC leaders from the 10 districts that make up Ankole sub-region on Monday pledged their loyalty to the party and described as rumours claim that they had joined Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu’s New Formation.
Last week, the New Formation paraded what it said were 64 members who had left the FDC party. Mr Daniel Kafureka, who has been the General Secretary for FDC Mbarara, noted that those who had resigned are all leaders at the district and constituency levels. The districts he said included Mbarara, Kiruhura, Isingiro, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Sheema, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Bushenyi and Buhweju.
However, on Monday, eight of the leaders in the above-mentioned districts, in a meeting attended by Buhweju MP Francis Mwijukye and FDC president for Mbarara Stanley Katembeya, reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle to remove Mr Museveni under FDC. Only FDC leaders from Rubirizi and Ntungamo districts were missing.
Mr Mwijukye said while Gen Muntu has leadership credentials, he may not be the right person to defeat President Museveni.
On Sunday, leaders from Kajara and Rushenyi counties in Ntungamo district also distanced themselves from some of their leaders who recently announced they had crossed to the New Formation.
The over 150 leaders gathered at Kajara County headquarters in Rwashamaire Town Council and attacked the district FDC chairman George Karamira, who has since announced his links with New Formation,
“What Gen Muntu said during the meeting and the meeting we later held with Mr Karamira is not what they followed in going away; there is no one who can trust them because they speak this and implement a different thing, they have sold their trust, I want to say this without fear, this thing called new formation may be worse than even NRM. I send a condolence to my friends who have joined,” Mr Laban Buryahika, the Bwongyera sub-county FDC chairperson, said during the Sunday meeting.
Mr Edwin Mugabe, the Rwashamaire Town Council FDC chairperson, said leaders at the lower level have been worried as those who crossed were telling structures that the FDC had been demolished and the new formation replaced it.
Mr Nazariuos Ahimbisibwe of Kagarama Town Council said the Muntu faction was giving way for the NRM to reap from the spoils of the FDC factioning other than concentrating on building for the 20121 elections.
The leaders resolved to replace all the leaders who have since gone to the press announcing siding with the New Formation.
