It might be shocking to everyone how FDC arrived at a decision to front little-known Pollyne Grace Nakabuye as the party flag bearer for Kyaddondo North seat by-election. The tale behind her candidature sounds like a tale of bootleg politics, the kind the “party of the future” ought to avoid. At least if it could.
How did Ms Nakubuye, who top FDC officials say can barely speak coherently about herself or read corrigibly her written manifesto, become the face of FDC? How did this newcomer become the party candidate in a do or die election which drew in the heavy weights of Uganda’s politics?
Insiders say it has to do with how the selection of Ms Nakabuye happened. And here is the story: According to sources within FDC, a one Emma Matovu, a husband to Ms Susan Nakawuki, the MP for Busiro East constituency, has been having an affair with Ms Nakabuye for some time. This affair had split Mr Matovu’s family to the extent that when Ms Nakabuye was introduced to the FDC top organ, the NEC, Ms Nakawuki opposed her candidature arguing that she stole her husband.
“I invited all of you on my introduction,” an emotional Ms Nakawuki reportedly said during FDC NEC meeting. “I am seven months pregnant and I know my husband has been having an affair with this lady. If you front her, I will campaign for Ms Bakitte and expose her,” she threatened.
But despite her personal plea, the party gave the nod to Ms Nakabuye, who faced Mr Kagulire Sebowa for the honours of running for the Kyaddondo North seat on the FDC ticket. Mr Sebowa was seen by many as the more viable option.
But in a dramatic twist to this story, he pulled out of the race just four days to the party primary. However, the circumstances surrounding his exit are as bizarre, as the tornado of a love affair that has in part, battered Ms Nakbuye’s political debut.
Money bags Matovu
Senior FDC officers told Inside Politics that Ms Nakawuki’s husband, Mr Matovu, a top money lender in Kampala, gave FDC Shs20m to organise grassroots elections in Kampala ahead of the party’s delegate conference.
Mr Matovu had also given Mr Sebowa a personal loan of Shs20m after Mr Sebowa lost the 2006 Kyaddondo parliamentary elections to the late Dr Kibirigye Sebunya. He however, failed to service this loan.
So, when Mr Matovu saw that his client Mr Sebowa was determined to run against his ‘girlfriend’ in the party primary, he allegedly threatened to arrest him over the unpaid debt, a proposition that sources say was a key drive to Mr Sebowa’s decision to quit the race.
But that is just part of the story. The two ‘rivals’ reportedly later met in Wandegeya in the presence of some FDC officials where a consensus was reached. Mr Sebowa was to be paid Shs18m and have his debt written off if he stepped down in favour of Ms Nakabuye.
The deal kicked off a storm in Najjanankumbi where Mr Sebowa was summoned to explain this “bribe” before the FDC disciplinary committee.
When this reporter contacted Mr Oguttu, the FDC spokesman, he admitted some money was paid to Mr Kagulire but only as a compensation of what he had used before he pulled out in favour of Ms Nakabuye. Mr Matovu has allegedly been lending money to many cash-strapped top FDC officials.
Perhaps this explains why some FDC officials might have supported Mr Matovu’s choice of Ms Nakabuye.
“[Others] should not be concerned with the way we conduct our business,” Mr Oguttu said. “We met three days to the party primaries, we had three candidates.
Two pulled out and we remained with one. Those who pulled out demanded that they be compensated for the money they had used and it was done,” he said. However, Mr Oguttu did not say if it is a standard practice for the FDC that if a candidate pulls out of the race, he or she should be compensated. This bizarre tale has broad implications for the quality of FDC’s politics.
Party officials who spoke to Inside Politics said that if these allegations turn out to be true, the party will suffer a dent in its public image. They say it could lead to further divisions too.
In fact, one senior party member is accusing the party of condoning the evils it claims to fight.
Mr Dan Mugarura, the Secretary for Electoral Affairs in FDC, who worked closely with the FDC NEC in choosing Ms Nakabuye when many in FDC thought she has no chance, was defensive about her elevation.
“Who chooses the candidate for FDC? When we have more than one candidate who wants to compete, we go for primaries but when someone says he has stepped down, we go with the one remaining. But who said our candidate was weak. Who is the aggrieved person here? We should be the people complaining but not any other person outside FDC.”
So did a love affair gone sour determine the Kyaddondo North election?
More of this next week
gbareebe@monitor.co.ug
