The Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Mr. Faruk Kirunda has lashed out at Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda for claiming that money changed hands in an alleged plot to sell the opposition party to the ruling- NRM party under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni.
Mr. Kirunda described Mr. Ssemujju’s money allegations as an excuse for weakness.
“Politics is a game of numbers. @FDCOfficial1 took Lukwago from DP,@NUP_Ug took Mwiru from ANT, etc.@NRMOnline wants everybody on its side. Why is@FDCOfficial1 panicking two years after the elections? Allegations of money are an excuse for weakness,” Mr. Kirunda tweeted today.
He also wondered why Mr. Ssemujju is coming out now yet he claims that his colleagues received the money from President Museveni over two years ago or more.
“Ssemujju must be part of the problem. He managed to campaign for the FDC candidate Amuriat during the 2021 presidential elections and now he says that he (Amuriat) used logistics from President Museveni to campaign. If so why did he campaign for him well knowing that the money they were using was from NRM? Something is not right. There’s more to this than meets the eye. If the party is going down, Ssemujju shouldn’t be an exception, they must fall down together,” Mr. Kirunda told this news website in a brief phone interview.
President Museveni’s Deputy Spokesperson’s statement comes a few days after Mr. Semujju’s allegations that FDC’s Secretary General Mr. Nandala Mafabi together with the president general Mr. Patrick Amuriat Oboi were trying to sell the opposition party to NRM.
During a national consultative meeting held on Monday 17th July, 2023 in Nsambya, the Kira Municipality legislator claimed that Mr. Nandala was bribed to hand FDC over to the ruling party’s chairman, President Museveni, as happened to UPC and DP.
According to Mr. Ssemujju, Mr. Nandala, and the company brought billions of shillings into the party during the 2021 elections and refused to disclose its source. He said it was the money that was used to make large purchases including cars from Cooper Motors that were used in the 2021 general elections.
However, during a phone interview with Uganda Radio Network on Tuesday, Mr. Nandala said Mr. Semujju and others like Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago want to sink the party by causing such brawls. He said during the recently concluded elections, the duo did not campaign for FDC candidates because they had an understanding with the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Mr. Nandala also wondered why Mr. Ssemujju is making a fuss over the funding for the 2021 campaigns since he has been funding previous FDC elections without any queries. He wondered why they are rising now when someone other than the four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kiiza Besigye is holding the FDC flag. He also said that even the said vehicles were paid for over some time not by single deposit as alleged.
The under fire Secretary General also said that if there’s anything, it is Semujju and Lukwago who should be questioned on the source of their funds arguing that the duo used a lot of money for their re-election in 2021 yet they don’t have any known successful businesses. He noted that the two could be the real wrong agents getting money from the state.
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