Embattled Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi and party President Patrick Oboi Amuriat are in tears after Speaker of Parliament Anita Among declared their decision to fire the political organization’s Parliamentary whip and their tormentor Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality MP, null and void.
Recently, Nandala Mafabi and Amuriat fired Ssemujju Nganda and replaced him with former law lecturer and Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi. (Read Stories Here and There).
After news of the sacking, a section of FDC MPs aligned to the Ssemujju group of the party petitioned the speaker to block the move to throw out the vocal legislator, who is also the official spokesperson of the opposition party.
On August 07, MPs Francis Mwijukye, Asinansi Nyakato, Harold Muhindo, Moses Kabuusu, Atkins Katusabe, and Nicholas Thaddeus Kamara, wrote to Speaker Among arguing that Nandala Mafabi has no powers to fire Ssemujju.
Mwijukye and his colleagues further made it clear that Nandala Mafabi can only announce a decision made by the National Executive Committee (NEC), National Council or National Delegates Conference of the party. These party organs never sat to recommend Ssemujju Nganda’s sacking.
The petitioners further argued that “any decision unilaterally communicated by the Secretary General without involvement and decision of the party organs is illegal and as a consequence ultra vires.”
They added: “Therefore, the decision communicated to you by the Secretary General withdrawing Hon Ssemujju Nganda and appointing Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi as FDC Parliamentary whip is devoid of the requisite legal foundation and was communicated by a person who as no locus whatsoever.
“We therefore implore you not to recognize the communication made to you by the Secretary General or even place the same before the house for its consideration as the same would amount to perpetuating an illegality.”
Among, who was formerly a member of the opposition FDC, has agreed with the petitioners and directed Nandala Mafabi to work on the complaints filed by the Mwijukye group since these are “internal party matters” which “affect the harmony, cohesion and operation of Parliament.”
She added: “I am therefore unable to affect your communication until the matters raised by the petitioners have been resolved and a communication made to that effect to avoid legal consequences of the same and disruption of parliamentary business.”
It should be remembered that the trouble between Ssemujju and Nandala Mafabi began when the vocal legislator claimed that the FDC Secretary General had received money from Museveni to sell him the opposition party and fight Bobi Wine’s NUP. Founding FDC President Dr Kizza Besigye recently revealed that Nandala and Amuriat started speaking in tongues when he summoned them to explain the source of the dirty money. (See Details Here and There).
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