{UAH} Allan/Pojim/WBK: Split as FDC names House leaders - National

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Split-FDC-names-House--leaders/-/688334/3220916/-/6gn5km/-/index.html

Split as FDC names House leaders

Ms Winnie Kiiza is the new leader of Opposition. File photo 

In Summary

Opposition. A section of members opposed naming a LoP on grounds that their candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, won the presidential elections.

KAMPALA. Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) yesterday named Kasese Woman MP Winifred Kizza as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP) for the 10th Parliament, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda Opposition Chief Whip and Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal member of the Parliament Commission.
Ms Kizza emerged as LoP, fending off competition from Ms Ogwal. The Kasese Woman MP replaces Mr Wafula Oguttu, who served as LoP for the final two and a half years of the 9th Parliament but lost his Bukholi Central seat.
The three leaders will interface to come up with names of who will head the four Opposition-led accountability committees and a member for the pan-African Parliament, Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Africa, Caribbean, Pacific – European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

With the party losing half of its members, surviving MPs from the 9th Parliament such as Roland Mugume Kaginda (Rukungiri Municipality), Angeline Ossege,(Soroti Woman) ,Elijah Okupa (Kasilo County),Kaps Fungaroo (Obongi Count) and William Nzonghu (Busongora North) are lined up for committee leadership positions.
Incoming MPs such as Ogenga Latigo (Agago North), Ariko Herbert Okworo (Soroti Municipality) also stand a chance of scooping up some of the positions.

But the process to come up with the three leaders to lead FDC in the 10th Parliament was not seamless as chaos panned out the party's headquarters in Najjanakumbi, with a section of members opposed to naming a LoP on grounds that their candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, won the presidential elections.
As the Working Committee, the nucleus organ composed of top leaders, met in the morning to thrash out the sticking issues regarding the three highly coveted positions, demonstrations intensified outside as a group of youth protested against the naming of a LoP.
The youth attempted to block FDC president, Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, from accessing the meeting room but were shoved away by his aides.

Party members accused the Secretary for Mobilisation, Ms Ingrid Turinawe, who has been strongly opposed to appointing of a LoP of orchestrating the chaos that has been manifesting at the party this week.
On Tuesday, the party was forced to call in police to arrest youth that were demonstrating outside its headquarters
Ms Turinawe also boycotted yesterday's meetings that finally appointed a LoP and said in an interview that members who were demonstrating have issues that the party needs to address.

"Everybody has issues. If people have issues, I do not need to mobilise them. If I am not in a meeting, it does not mean that a meeting cannot go ahead. I do not have to be in every meeting," Ms Turinawe said.
Outgoing LoP Wafula Oguttu, Budadiri West MP and party secretary general Nandala Mafabi attended the Working Committee meeting but skipped the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. Mr Oguttu said they had "other party engagements to handle".

But the choice of Ms Winnie Kizza also left a bitter taste, with some party supporters saying the party was not bringing regional consideration into mind.
"All the positions are being scooped by the western region. The party president is from the West, the LoP should have gone to the North. They are saying she delivered the Kasese vote but the north also voted Besigye,"said Mr Innocent Ayo, the former FDC Youth League chairman.

sarinaitwe@ug.nationmedia.com

Split as FDC names House leaders - National

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Split-FDC-names-House--leaders/-/688334/3220916/-/6gn5km/-/index.html

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