Museveni’s critic, Dr. Kizza Besigye, and his woshipers in the opposition party want to form an alliance with Robert Kyagulanyi’s National Unity Platform (NUP) ahead of the 2026 elections,
Sources in the FDC attached to Katonga disclosed that Besigye’s insistence on forming a coalition with the NUP is at the heart of the current political crisis in the FDC.
“Besigye believes that FDC has lost its stamina as a result of defections, infiltration by NRM moles, and failure to mobilise reosurces and new supporters to effectively challenge President Museveni’s hold on power,” said a high-ranking FDC official who preferred anonymity to speak freely.
“So, Besigye has been speaking to Bobi Wine and international supporters to see how to unite FDC and NUP for a common cause in 2026, but this idea has faced resistance, especially among top FDC leaders from eastern Uganda,” the source added.
This information was corroborated by multiple officials in FDC, who said the party’s Secretary General, Nandala Mafabi, has publicly opposed the idea of an alliance with NUP.
While appearing on NBS TV recently, Mafabi said his fallout with Besigye started during a party event at Namboole Stadium when the former presidential candidate asked him to attend a meeting at the home of ex-FDC top shot Joyce Ssebugwawo to discuss a partnership with NUP.
Mafabi refused to attend the meeting.
Kyambogo meeting
In another instance, during the 2021 election campaigns, Besigye met Mafabi in Kyambogo, where the former presidential candidate discussed details of his quiet engagements with NUP.
“After we asked Besigye for the Shs 300m meant for our party agents across the country, he came to my office in Kyambogo and instead sold us the idea that he had met with members of NUP and that they had agreed that NUP was to pay for agents where it was strong and FDC should pay agents where they were also strong,” Mafabi told a daily on Wednesday.
“We then asked Besigye how we were going to gauge strength in those places. This did not go down well with him and he has never returned,” said Mafabi.
Sources said Besigye has not abandoned the idea of the opposition pulling resources and conducting joint rallies in the upcoming elections to challenge the ruling party.
“Besigye wants to take our party to NUP, but we will not allow him,” said a close associate of Mafabi, adding, “NUP has no respect for FDC leadership, we will fight Museveni on our own.”
Pressure
Meanwhile, FDC elders this week piled pressure on Dr. Besigye to provide evidence to back up his claims that Mafabi received Sh300 million from State House in the run-up to the 2021 elections.
Besigye has in multiple fora maintained having evidence pinning FDC’s leadership in the dirty money saga.
However, the Special FDC Elders Committee (SEC) says no “dirty money” was used in the FDC’s 2021 presidential election campaign.