The Forum for Democratic change(FDC) Secretary for mobilisation, Ingrid Turinawe has refuted the results from the recently conducted party primaries accusing National Resistance Movement (NRM) of giving money to Dr Wallen Nuwagaba Tumwine who emerged as a winner.
This comes shortly after Turinawe and the incumbent Rukungiri Municipality MP, Roland Mugume lost in the party primaries ahead of the 2021 general elections.
The hotly contested election which was conducted in Rukungiri district involved six candidates.
Dr. Warren Tumwine who won the Rukungiri Municipality primaries garnered 130 votes followed by Turinawe with 65 votes and the incumbent Mugume with 62 votes.
The poll results are a shock to some Ugandans given that Mugume has been the FDC vice chairman for western region and the deputy opposition chief whip in Parliament.
Similarly, some people thought that Turinawe’s popularity would get her over the line.
However, it didn’t go well after she emerged second in the party primaries.
Turinawe had told the delegates before the elections that she has on several occasions illustrated that she can fight for the interests of the party and Ugandans, and that if elected MP flag bearer doors will open for her for the good of the party. “I have demonstrated that I can fight for the party and I will continue supporting it. I am the person who fights during the day and at night until I get what the party wants. I need your vote so that I can go to parliament,” she said.
Turinawe has failed to win any elective position above the sub-county councilor.
In 2006 and 2011, she contested the Rukungiri district woman parliamentary seat but she lost.
In the same way in February 2017, she unsuccessfully contested for one of the seats to the East African Legislative Assembly, which convenes in Arusha, Tanzania.
In a statement on Wednesday, Turinawe said Someone came from nowhere with sacks of money and began dashing out envelopes containing cash as much as Shs300,000, Shs400,000 and Shs500,000.
” This is abominable because the FDC we started and built is against voter bribery. Dr Tumwine used this strange money to procure the victory.”she said.
She noted nobody knows where Dr Tumwine got the money he gave to the people saying that this was an intended move by their party opponent.
“Nobody knows where this money came from. We will not accept to hand over our party to the junta,” she asserted. “In [Rukungiri] town, people lined along the streets in anger, in pain and protest a matter that caused Police to arrest me as I walked home. People are vowing not to vote for the so-called flag bearer who bribed delegates.”
She said most FDC supporters in Rukungiri have vowed not to vote for Dr Tumwine because of what he did, (giving out money to delegates)
“Others are saying they will vote an NRM or independent candidate to protest against the few compromised delegates while the biggest number say they will not vote,”she said
She added that the outcome of this week’s election doesn’t represent the people’s will.
“They say few compromised delegates won’t decide for them. I and my team will take a painful but bold decision which will be communicated soon,” she said.
Turinawe asked the party leadership to intervene in this matter or if not FDC might lose this seat to NRM.