Ssemujju: Bobi’s People Power, Muntu’s ANT should be the ones to join FDC

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda says the party will not join Bobi Wine’s People Power, Muntu’s ANT and other groups for a political coalition.

Ahead of the 2021 general elections, talks for a political opposition coalition are yet to yield fruit.

The closest the opposition have come close to a coalition is the United Forces of Change’s No Nedda Campaign which opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine lead.

But Besigye has made it clear last months coalition deal was not about the 2021 elections — which are months away.

On July 13, Ssemujju expressed his disappointment in members of the opposition who had broken away from the FDC but were now calling for an alliance.

In 2019, former party president Mugisha Muntu left FDC to found Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) after losing an internal election to Patrick Oboi Amuriat.

The former army commander is the ANT 2021 presidential candidate. Muntu recently said he is preparing for the two paths of a political coalition.

Ssemujju wondered why people like Muntu of the ANT “talk about a coalition but before they come to the table to discuss, they first form their political parties and then they suggest that we, FDC, should join them.”

The opposition chief whip’s statement also came on the heels of a media story in which Bobi Wine reportedly asked Besigye of the FDC to rally behind him.

“Why form a political party if you want to join forces? Why not join an existing political party?”

The Kira Municipality MP now says ANT’s Muntu, People Power’s Bobi Wine and other political players “should give FDC some respect. If they want a coalition should join us.”

Ssemujju further argued that “if all opposition groups wanted to unite, the first qualification is to register one political platform.”

“This happened in Kenya. But what is happening in Uganda, someone forms a party called ANT, and comes asking FDC, ‘why aren’t you working with us?” the MP said.

“I don’t want to give false promise that we are now discussing and there will be unity. We have completely different political parties; let everybody be contented with where they are.”