The opposition parties are engaged in a bitter split over the proposal to field a joint candidate during the forthcoming by-election for Serere County Member of Parliament.
The latest split stemmed from a decision by the Forum for Democratic Change party to turn down a proposal to field a single opposition candidate.
Alice Alaso, the former Serere MP and a renown former FDC diehard has been fronted by the Alliance for National Transformation party with proposal to have her as a joint opposition candidate, a decision that has been rejected by other parties.
FDC Party President Eng. Patrick Oboi Amuriat insists they have fronted their own candidate, Emmanuel Eratu, as the flag bearer in the forthcoming by-election in Serere County and therefore cannot rally behind Alaso since she had previously defected from FDC.
Amuriat said they are not at all obliged to partner with the Alliance for National Transformer (ANT) since the circumstances under which they left FDC to form ANT were due to irreconcilable differences.
According to Alaso, the Alliance National for Transformation had formally asked fellow opposition member FDC, to back them in that by- election, but they have refused.
“We approached our fellow opposition members to support us in winning this seat, but unfortunately they are not interested; they only want to split votes and not win the seat,” said Alaso.
Amuriat further revealed that since Alaso abandoned the FDC party, they have never resolved the differences, which he termed irreconcilable.
The Electoral Commission has set Thursday 23rd February, 2023 as date to conduct the by-election to elected Serere County MP.
The nomination of candidates will be conducted on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th February, 2023 at the Office of the District Returning Officer, Serere.
The Parliamentary seat for Serere County fell vacant following the death of the former Member of Parliament, the Late Hon. Okabe Patrick, in a motor accident on 19th December 2022.