Mbidde’s Faction Holds DP Grassroots Elections Despite Suspension by Party Leadership

Democratic Party (DP) members allied to party vice president Fred Mukasa Mbidde in Masaka District have organised grassroots elections despite the exercise being suspended by the national party leadership.

On January 30, DP national organizing secretary Sulaiman Kidandala issued a circular, suspending the elections, citing irregularities, including the use of certified voter registers.

But on the same day Thursday and Friday, some DP leaders in Bukoto East, Bukoto Central and Masaka Municipality conducted the elections and chose new party leaders at village level.

Mr Mbidde, who is also the DP Masaka District chairperson,  dismissed  reports  calling off the exercise.

“An individual [Kidandala] cannot take a decision to halt a roadmap for the party. If there were irregularities as some party members claim, NEC has to sit and look into such issues,” he said

The DP returning Officer for Masaka District, Mr Patrick Ziiwa, said by the time they received the communication from the party headquarters in Kampala, members at the village level  had already started voting.

“We just heard over the radio that the elections had been called off. We wondered why an election roadmap released by the party NEC could be halted without prior notice. It is irregular and we could not go by the decision made by a single individual without approval of the entire committee [NEC],” he said.

The top party leadership is expected to hold a crisis meeting in Kampala on Monday to communicate the next plan of action.

The DP branch in Masaka has been marred by political fights since 2018 when Mr Mbidde, who represents Uganda in the East African Legislative Assembly, declared interest to challenge Mr Mathias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality MP) in next year’s parliamentary elections.