Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu is today Monday expected to seek nomination for election of party president.
Having served five years as president of the main opposition party, Gen Muntu will have to defeat five other candidates to retain his seat.
“Today, I will be undergoing nomination as candidate for the presidency of the Forum for Democratic Party,” said Muntu in a brief statement on Monday.
He said over the past five years as President, “My team and I have focused our efforts on building strong party structures at both grassroots and national levels,” adding, “As a result of this, our party fared far better in the 2016 elections than most thought we would.”
The FDC candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye was defeated by president Museveni in the 2016 election.
But FDC contested the results, accusing the incumbent of rigging and other electoral malpractices.
Muntu’s FDC presidential bid comes at a time of heightened tension in the party, with many accusing him of falling short in mobilising funds for the party’s activities.
But insiders tell ChimpReports that Muntu’s achievements especially in building formidable grassroots structures were overshadowed by Besigye’s defiance campaigns.
Muntu is perceived as a moderate who believes in nurturing talent, building structures and reaching out to rivals.
This has not endeared him to the radical wing led by Dr Besigye that cherishes acts of defiance.
As such, Besigye supporters consider Muntu a ‘political softie’ who can’t remove President from power.
In his statement today, Muntu said “our biggest challenge-both as a party and a country, is to build institutions and structures that can outlast any one individual.”
The former army commander who participated in the RA war that brought president Museveni to power in 1986 said FDC needs “to build a Uganda that works for all Ugandans, irrespective of their background, political views, ethnicity or other stature in life.”
He emphasised his commitment to “playing my role in achieving this for my party and- by extension- for this country I so dearly love.”
Muntu said candidature is “not about me, but about the future I, along with the millions of party members and fellow citizens yearn for; a Uganda that works for ALL of us, not some us. A Uganda that unites us all under God.”
Muntu will today lead a procession from Bweyogerere to Najjanankumbi (11am-1pm) where he will be nominated at 1:30pm.
He will later hold another procession back to Bweyogerere near Joka’s Hotel for Rally.