By Spy Uganda
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Anita Among has declined to relieve Kira Municipality Legislator Hon Ssemujju Nganda of his position as Whip for the Forum Democratic Change (FDC) in Parliament following a petition by some legislators asking parliament to halt the changes, accusing the party Secretary General Nandala Mafabi of taking the decision without consulting the Party’s NEC.
Earlier this month, Nandala fired Ssemujju who also doubles as the party spokesperson from his position as the chief party whip and replaced him with former Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi.
“In accordance with Section 6 (1), the party hereby appoints Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi as the party chief whip for the Forum for Democratic Change, replacing Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda. “In the same vein, we hereby withdraw Ssemujju Nganda as the party’s chief whip with immediate effect,” Nandala said in his letter.
Following the above, Nandala sought the speaker Among’s power to remove Ssemujju from his position as chief whip in parliament which she declined noting that the decision was taken without consulting the party’s top leadership.
”I note that section 6J (1) of the Administration of Parliament Act and Rule 15 (7) of our rules of procedure require a party in opposition to appoint its whip. The petition I received is essentially telling me that the party did not sit, through its organs, to take a decision to withdraw and replace the current whip. I also note that unlike in the past, on this occasion, no meeting of a Party organ has been mentioned in your communication as having taken this decision and yet it has serious consequences on the workings of the legislature,” Among said in her response.
”The above notwithstanding, while these are internal party matters, they affect the harmony, cohesion and operation of Parliament. I am therefore unable to affect your communication until the matters raised by the petitioners have been resolved and a communication made to that effect to avoid legal consequences of the same and disruption of Parliamentary Business,” she added.
The development comes at a time when the party is divided into two wings accusing the other of ‘selling’ the party to President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
Kizza Besigye, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, and FDC Buganda central region vice president, who also doubles as the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, are battling Nandala Mafabi and party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi.
Mafabi and Amuriat have since denied receiving money from the state, saying that the money they got was from a “safe source” and should therefore not be a cause of alarm within the party.
