The President of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Patrick Amuriat has refuted all claims of receiving money from President Yoweri Museveni.
Amuriat said at a time when there are intra party fights, such allegations are bound to surface. The fights originate from Budadiri West MP who doubles as the FDC Secretary General Nandala Mafabi and the party president Patrick Amuriat. The two are accused of declining to remit 50 percent of all the income to districts to implement the resolutions and popularising the party and receiving undisclosed amounts of money from the ruling government.
There is also an ongoing battle between the Amuriat and the former party President Dr Kizza Besigye and the Lord Mayor Eria Lukwago. Besigye accuses Amuriat of getting money from the ruling party to finance his campaigns. In tandem, Amuriat asked Besigye to table the source of the $400,000 he gave to Nandala Mafabi ahead of the 2021 elections.
Speaking earlier today, Amuriat said FDC has never received money from Museveni as party members claim and the only money the party gets through the Electoral Commission is legal and accounted for.
Amuriat stated that the allegations of funds received from hostile groups by the party were made by our founding President, Kizza Besigye in 2020, in private. Besigye said that he had received intelligence that money was obtained from the Museveni establishment. It has taken us two years to try, quietly, to resolve this matter without much success
“We will not disclose and betray our funders. They could be in government, business people, or civil servants. This is meant to protect them from the Junta. In Nsambya, the situation involving our accusers is riddled with blackmail, dishonesty, and a palpable fear of internal elections. -Patrick Amuriat, FDC party President,” he said.
Nandala said the meeting was based on a falsehood to destroy the FDC that we built for a long time. Semujju’s clique has made accusations without evidence. If this is not malice, why don’t they bring evidence? You say that you saw us in the State House receiving money, but why don’t you share the evidence?
He said the 2011 election was well-funded, with about Shs10 billion available, but the 2021 election was poorly funded. We hardly got Shs3 billion because the funders ran away, only because it was Amuriat standing, he was abandoned.