Divisions have emerged in the Forum for Democratic Change over the party’s reported support for the aspirations of Democratic Party President Norbert Mao to reclaim the Gulu municipality seat which he in the past represented in parliament for two terms(one decade).
“We have no agreement with Democratic Party in Gulu because even as I talk now DP has sent their candidate in Pece division against me and even in Aswa against Okumu Regean,’’ said Kelly Komakech, the Gulu FDC Publicity Secretary.
Last month the FDC Gulu Chairman Simon Toolit Akecha said no one from FDC had picked party nominations to contest for the Gulu Municipality seat, including the current MP, Christopher Acire who won the seat in the last parliamentary elections on the FDC ticket.
But speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at the Northern Uganda Media Club, Kelly Komakech said Simon Toolit Akecha’s views about Mao did not represent the position of the FDC.
‘‘It looks like Chairman [Gulu FDC] is talking his personal position not party position,” said Kelly Komakech.
When contacted for comment, Akecha Simon Toolit told Acholi Times that he was in Kampala to resolve the matter [FDC’s support or not for Mao] with his party.
“I will get back to you very soon. I am with the deputy secretary general(of FDC). I will get back to you as soon as I can, “Akecha said. By the time of publishing this story, Akecha had not got back on what the FDC had resolved.
Senior FDC party officials in Gulu including Gulu Chairman Ojara Martin Mapenduzi, Gulu Woman Member Of Parliament Betty Aol Ocan and FDC Party Chairman Simon Toolit Akecha have all publically expressed support for Mao’s aspirations to reclaim Gulu municipality.
The cracks in FDC over Mao’s return have to be viewed within the context of the conflict between Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu and the current Gulu Municipality MP Christopher Acire. Both are members of FDC.
Acire whose wobbly performance in parliament in the last close to five years has been heavily critisised has declined to defend his Gulu Municipality seat preferring instead to go for Reagan Okumu’s seat in Aswa.
Kelly Komakech who belongs to the radical wing of the FDC (he is reported to be very close to Besigye and was one of the FDC President’s body guards during his nomination as presidential candidate) is a critic of Okumu Reagan who is also FDC’s Vice president for northern Uganda. Kelly Komakech is contesting for the Pece Division Chair in Gulu municipality.
Komakech supports Acire and is among those fronting for Ochola Hiram to contest on the FDC ticket for the Gulu Municipality seat. Ochola, a new comer in Gulu politics told a press conference he addressed with Komakech on Tuesday that party officials have already officially endorsed his candidature for Gulu municipality. This, however, could not be independently verified.
Simon Toolit Akecha, however says the party will support Okumu Reagan against Acire in Aswa.
It is also likely that other senior FDC officials like Betty Aol, Ojara Martin Mapenduzi will support Okumu Reagan and Norbert Mao, despite the latter being a member of the Democratic Party. Mao still has considerable influence in Gulu municipality and beyond. It is this influence that FDC candidates for various political offices in Gulu and neighbouring districts like Nwoya and Amuru are looking to tap into. And despite the failure of The Democratic Alliance(TDA) at the national level, the loose alliance of political parties seems to in some instances be taking shape at the parliamentary and local government level in Gulu because of a reported ”Acholi agenda” taking priority as opposition stalwarts strategise to reclaim seats snatched by the NRM in the last parliamentary and local government elections.
Additional reportin by James Owich
