The Forum for Democratic Change, Uganda’s largest opposition party by parliamentary representation, heads into the festive season staring at yet another crisis.

The party has found itself at cross-roads as it seeks to replace its departed chairman Sam Kalega Njuba’s.

This comes against the backdrop of a succession battle over the recent choice of its former president Dr Kizza Besigye’s successor.
Mr Njuba died on December 13 from intestinal complications.

A distinguished lawyer, Mr Njuba was instrumental in the formation of FDC in 2005, but reluctantly became its substantive chair in 2010.

The party has yet to announce Mr Njuba’s interim successor with Dr Besigye saying, “It will take some time before we fully absorb and accept what has happened.”

According to the party’s constitution, the next chairperson is supposed to be picked at the delegates’ conference, which is expected sometime next year.

In the meantime, though, the national executive committee will have to appoint the next senior politician in rank to act in that capacity.

This interim replacement, whenever it is announced, has the potential to bring back memories of 2008 when Suleiman Kiggundu, the party’s chairperson then, died.

As a young party keen to project a national character without losing any of its constituencies, especially the significant Buganda region, the FDC was at odds whether to replace Mr Kiggundu with a fellow Muganda or a senior member of the party.

Some party members who preferred the former argued that not only was it good for the appeasement of the Buganda constituency, but also for the balance of power in the party since the presidency was held by someone from the west.

“The challenge we face is a big one. Sam Njuba came from the central and was a veteran politician. To find someone who fits in his shoes is difficult for a young party like the FDC,” Christopher Kibazanga, a senior party member told The EastAfrican.

The party today finds itself in a different place compared with where it was in 2008. Having lost the northern Uganda vote in the last election to the NRM, there is a need to hang on to the central region where together with the east, the FDC has continued to perform well.

“It is a delicate balancing act as FDC does not have a senior member from Buganda who ticks all the boxes as Njuba did,” noted Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, who succeeded him as MP for Kyadondo East.

“For chairman, usually there is less fighting but there will be sentiments that will come in. The previous chairpersons have come from the central region because the president has been from the west.

“The tradition has been to pick an elder member but now where do you get an elder from Buganda who can match him?” Mr Ssemujju posed.

Other party members who spoke to The EastAfrican noted that Dr Besigye could bounce back as Njuba’s replacement.

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The maverick politician stepped down from the party’s presidency last year.

Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a political analyst, does not rule out this possibility but says while he would perfectly fit the position, it would come with a lot of western baggage.

Dr Besigye, like his successor Maj-Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, comes from western Uganda. This is also true for a majority of the party’s senior members.

While normally the chairperson of the FDC is removed from its daily operations, the choice of Mr Njuba’s successor is all the more important as it comes with the burden of holding the party together.

The new chairman’s first task will be to preside over the highly anticipated delegates’ conference next year, which will elect new office bearers.

Sources inside the party say conduct of elections will determine its future.

“All the recent elections in the FDC have not been above board. The coming ones had better be or the fallout from the Nandala-Muntu contest, which had begun healing, will take on a whole different dynamic,” a source within the party said.