The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) on Monday postponed nomination for party presidential aspirants for the 2021 elections.
The party’s acting chief of the electoral commission, Mr Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda, said they postponed the elections because the Electoral Commission had not replied to their request for specific guidelines to follow for campaigns.
“Although they promised to furnish political parties with electoral guidelines that would help political parties to carry out campaigns and hold its delegates conference, these have not been provided up to now,” Mr Toterebuka said.
The party last month asked all interested presidential aspirants to formally write with clear reasons why they should vie for the top seat on the party’s ticket.
It is not clear why other parties have given timelines for the election of the flag bearers. But Mr Toterebuka said they will have to wait for EC to give them guidelines.
When asked what the party will do if the EC did not write back, Mr Toterebuka said: “This world is not about [Justice Simon] Byabakama. So we shall do everything possible to get a presidential candidate for FDc at whatever cost.”
The FDC said they want a response to avoid disruption of other party activities.
“Police and other security organs have continued to disrupt and also confiscate our electoral materials. This happened in Nangabo-Kasangati, Jinja and Tororo where our treasurer general Geoffrey Ekanya was harassed,” Mr Toterebuka said.
“We implore police and other security forces to stop interfering with our internal processes and also appearing partisan,” he added.
When asked whether the FDC had written to them, the EC’s deputy spokesperson, Mr Paul Bukenya said: “Of course, we have received [their communication, and] we are in touch with these parties, but we have also been consulting with them on how to achieve safe public meetings.”
“We have been undertaking consultations to achieve harmonised positions on how to handle meetings during Covid-19 pandemic, which we concluded last week and we are finalising the guidelines. Our date on the roadmap is Thursday this week. So we are working towards that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Toterebuka tasked all FDC district party leaders to ensure that candidates are nominated so that they compete for the newly approved constituencies passed by Parliament last month.
“This should be done in one week from today,” he said.
Other parties
Other Opposition political parties have been carrying out activities. Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, unveiled his National Unity Platform party under which he will vie for the presidency in the forthcoming elections. At the weekend, the Uganda People’s Congress faction headed by Mr Jimmy Akena unanimously endorsed him as sole candidate for party presidency.