The April 2 release of a revised roadmap by the Electoral Commission sent jolts within the ranks of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) as party officials quickly met and re-adjusted their
programme lest they would be found napping.
The FDC National Executive Committee convened on the April 1(Wednesday) and resolved to fast-track its electoral calendar by scrambling up a Road Map for the election of grass root structures. A follow-up NEC meeting yesterday [Thursday] endorsed the programme. Top on the agenda at the Najjanakumbi April 1 meeting was a concern that the Electoral Commission might playing around with the Road Map
as a ploy to catch Opposition parties off-guard-effectively stacking the odds in favor of the ruling party.
But the meeting resolved that there is no time for finger pointing -and resolved to kick-start a process to elect grass root structures that will in turn constitute electoral colleges.
And the elections will kick off on April 15 in the Teso and Bukedi sub-regions to kick into motion a process that will ultimately end with the election of a Presidential flag bearer for the 2016 elections
at a delegate’s conference whose date remains undecided.
According to the Road Map sent to party officials, between April 15-22, elections will begin in the Teso sub-region .Bukedi, Rwenzori and West Nile sub-regions will also hold elections during the same period.
Western Uganda will follow with elections in the West Ankole districts of Ntugamo, Bushenyi, Buhweju, Rubirizi, Mitooma and Sheema between 29th April-6th May. East Ankole taking Mbarara, Ibanda, Kiruhura and Isingiro will also conduct the same period.Bunyoro and Tooro regions will also conduct polls during the same period.
Buganda region will also vote during the last months of April period while Kampala (taking the five divisions) votes between May 10-May 17. Elections in the Sebei, Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions will be
between 10th-17th May.
All National Executive Committee(NEC) offices- are up for grabs save for the party presidency as Major General (rtd)Mugisha Muntu’s term expires in 2017-having been elected in 2012. The term of office of
the FDC NEC expired in February 2013 but no fresh elections have been held due to resource constraints and internal disagreements.
Elections will begin from the village, parish, sub-county, county up to district levels. Key among the posts to be filled at these levels are Treasurer, General Secretary, Secretary for information and
publicity and Secretary for mobilization and election.
The Forum for Democratic Change delegates conference in December last year voted to shift from the polling area branch system – where the local structure was built around the polling stations – to a new
system where structures are built in line with villages-as part of a wider strategy to strengthen the local bases.
Only card holding members of the party will be eligible to vote-as the party seeks to raise money by selling cards at Shs1000.But some party officials are wary that the ruling party might infiltrate FDC ranks just by buying party cards.
cninsiima@eagle.co.ug
