FDC secretary general Nandala Mafabi says ready to back Amuriat if he loses 2026 flag bid

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As the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) awaits the elders' announcement of the next party president, secretary general Nathan Nandala Mafabi has expressed willingness to support incumbent party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi, should elders select him to lead the party into the 2026 elections.

The FDC elders are expected to unveil the party’s new leader today (July 30, 2025), following a day-long closed-door meeting held yesterday (July 29, 2025) at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala. The meeting brought together the two leadership candidates and their respective camps.

The session was chaired by FDC national chairperson Jack Sabiiti and attended by more than 60 elders representing 21 subregions and other senior party leaders.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mafabi reaffirmed his commitment to the party and expressed his willingness to support Amuriat should the elders’ consensus favour him.

“I want to assure everybody that I, Nandala, contested for FDC leadership in 2012 against my brother Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu (now in Alliance for National Transformation party). I lost by 32 votes, and I chose to support him. But when he lost to Amuriat, he left the party,” Mafabi said.

“Whatever decision is made by the elders, I am ready to serve behind Amuriat. If the party gives the flag to me, I believe he will also stand with me. We are brothers, we’ve fought together, travelled across the country, shared a bed….,” he added.

All these attempts are aimed at unifying the party leadership under a single presidential candidate to avoid a divisive contest at the forthcoming delegates’ conference scheduled for July 31, 2025.

The two candidates have been conducting consultations with grassroots leaders, religious figures, and senior party members across the country.

Amuriat confirmed that he and Mafabi had agreed to submit to the party's internal processes and consensus-building efforts.

“We both agreed to be part of the vetting process and the consensus-building mechanism. The elders have heard our cases, and we trust they will guide us toward a unifying outcome,” Amuriat said.

He acknowledged the risk of division, noting that past internal elections had left the party weakened.

He said they are mindful and don’t want to repeat the same.

Amuriat stressed that the delegates’ conference is now hanging in the balance and will proceed depending on whether the consensus process yields a suitable flagbearer.

The FDC’s top leadership is under pressure to present a united front as the country heads into a charged 2026 electoral season, following a recent split with the Katonga group, which translated into the People's Front for Freedom (PFF) party.

“The two of us standing here are the best this country has. If either one of us is chosen, Uganda will have a president who truly understands its people. We didn’t apply to be born here, this country belongs to all of us,” Mafabi said.

Amuriat and Mafabi have long been key figures in the FDC’s operations, with Amuriat serving as party president since 2017 and Mafabi playing a key strategic role as Secretary General to date.

“We want to reach an amicable position,” Amuriat said.