Despite Judith Adyaka Nalibe’s withdrawal from the Kaabong Woman MP by-elections, her political party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is continuing to campaign for her.
Adyaka who was nominated on August 28, early this month wrote to the Electoral Commission (EC) informing them that she was no longer interested in the parliamentary race. She accused her party of refusing to fund her.
Nevertheless, her party rejected her withdrawal and cautioned EC not to remove her name from the ballot paper, a request that was honored by the commission.
Justice Simon Byabakama the EC chairperson, revealed that they did not accept Adyaka’s application because it was lacking the confirmatory signatures of FDC Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi.
Adyaka has since abandoned the campaigns.
However, according to FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, their team has continued with the campaigns and her name will appear on the ballot paper whether she likes it or not.
“Adyaka did not pull out of the race although she wanted, therefore she is still considered as our flag bearer. Although she is not attending the campaigns, the Secretary-General Mafabi has stood to campaign for her and others,” said Ssemujju.
“We are having a hostile woman MP candidate but she is still our member. If you have a stubborn child do you throw her away? These general elections are not about FDC winning a Parliamentary seat but we have supporters that we should go and speak too, so this is the right time to speak because on other ordinary days it would be teargas.”
On the issues of denying her financial support, Ssemujju said that FDC is not a money-splashing party like the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“We only meet the legal obligations such as nominations and printing of posters. As a party we gave her the little we had and that should not be a point to make someone to get out of campaigns.”
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