FDC declines to support ANT’s Alice Alaso in Serere County by-election  

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has declined to back its former founding member, Alice Alaso in the upcoming Serere County by-election.

Alaso who is the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) aspirant yesterday Wednesday appealed to FDC to join hands towards securing her election victory in the Serere County by-election scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week.

She fell out with FDC in 2017 following the election of Patrick Oboi Amuriat as party president. In the 2021 general elections, Alaso unsuccessfully competed for the Serere Woman MP seat under the ANT ticket. She lost the seat in 2016 to Hellen Adoa Abeku, now the minister of State for Fisheries.

While announcing the party’s own aspirant in Kampala, FDC president Patrick Amuriat Oboi said that they will not back Alaso because she left FDC under irreconcilable differences. FDC has now presented Emmanuel Eratu, the former independent candidate as their aspirant in the by-election. Eratu came fourth in the 2021 general elections with 1,035 votes beating the then FDC candidate, Joshua Eyaru who got only 945 votes while NUP’s Mukhalu Richard Okodel came last with 335 votes.

Alaso told journalists in Soroti that the Serere by-election is not about building political parties but taking a strategic position for the opposition.

“To appeal to the Forum for Democratic Change which I founded; if they are still part and parcel of the opposition, join the struggle because it is the struggle for the opposition. We don’t want to divide our vote. We don’t want to just throw votes around for the sake of mobilising and all of us would like to mobilise but this campaign is not about building the party. 9 days will not be spent building the political party, no!” said Alaso. 

She has also appealed to the NRM members and other people in the constituency to support her candidature. She said that her candidature is based on distinctive representation, unity and human rights defense.

“A voice in leadership is extremely important and my commitment to the people of Serere is that I will give a distinct recognisable and assertive voice when you elect me. I pledge to the people of Serere that about this candidature that I will unite this badly divided community. As we talk now, it is like leaders want to kill themselves. The NRM is in tatters, they are fighting each. Now that is not what we want for Serere county. We want a Serere County where leaders can stand together and push the county together for development,” said Alaso. 

Paul Omer, FDC’s mobilizer in Teso when contacted over Alaso’s pleas also noted that they would not back a person who betrayed the party in the past. 

“Alaso Asianut left the FDC and she has been a pillar that the NRM has been using to fight the FDC strength in Teso. And immediately at the time when the FDC was at its strongest, when it was gaining moment, Alice Alaso decided to form a new party…Recently in Teso we had a by-election in Soroti East, Alice Alaso was playing cards with the NRM and she was supporting a candidate for the NRM party. You didn’t see her anywhere, and at that time, she should have probably come to join forces,” said Omer.  

Alaso is the only woman who has expressed interest in Serere County by-election. She has been backed by the largest opposition party National Unity Platform (NUP). Both NUP and the FDC have abandoned their candidates in the 2021 general elections.

The Serere County MP seat fell vacant after the demise of Patrick Okabe who died in a road accident in December. His son, Emmanuel Omoding Okabe is among the people who have expressed interest in replacing the father.