Besigye: The Najjanankumbi crisis is not my problem
Last week, FDC National Chairperson Jack Sabiiti criticised Besigye, accusing him of attempting to steer the party according to his personal agenda.
Former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has dismissed claims that he is responsible for the ongoing crisis within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, arguing that similar challenges plague all political parties across Uganda.
“The current crisis in Najjanankumbi is not a Besigye problem because all the political parties are suffering similar challenges. It can't be Besigye in all those parties causing that. It is the junta causing the problems all over,” Dr Besigye asserted.
Dr Besigye also criticised the current regime, accusing it of manipulating the media to mislead the public and distract from real political issues.
“The ruling junta has specialized in the use of media to bombard the country with all kinds of diversionary information,” he added.
During an appearance on NBS TV on Sunday, Besigye, who previously stepped down from the leadership of the FDC, clarified that his resignation was a voluntary decision rather than the result of external pressure, underscoring the uniqueness of such a move in Uganda's political context.
"I stepped down from the leadership of the FDC party not under any pressure. The pressure rather was I don't step down. I think I still hold the unique position of being so far the second leader of a political party who stepped down from leadership,” he said, referencing the late Kawanga Ssemogerere as the only other leader to have done so.
Last week, FDC National Chairperson Jack Sabiiti criticised Besigye, accusing him of attempting to steer the party according to his personal agenda.
Sabiiti emphasized that the FDC must adhere strictly to its constitution and not allow any individual to dominate its direction.
"We have Kizza Besigye who thinks that the FDC belongs to him. He wants to direct the party in the direction he wants as an individual, yet we believe decisions must be guided by the party's constitution," Sabiiti stated.
Sabiiti further asserted the legitimacy of the party's leadership at its headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala, distancing the official FDC structure from the faction associated with Katonga, where Besigye reportedly operates.
"The leadership at Najjanankumbi is the authorized structure to run the FDC. We have nothing to do with Katonga; it has people who once belonged to the FDC. Katonga is not where the party's head offices are," he declared.
The FDC has been embroiled in internal conflicts, with Sabiiti directly blaming Besigye for the ongoing discord within the party.
"We have one FDC, but when you have selfish people who don't want to follow the rules of the game and think that the party belongs to an individual, then things cannot hold," Sabiiti said.
He concluded by labeling Besigye as "the main architect of the conflict going on within the FDC," signaling a deepening rift between the party's established leadership and its former leader.
