The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has chosen its Secretary General, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, to represent the party in the 2026 presidential election.
The decision comes after intense internal deliberations that led to the withdrawal of party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi, who stood as the FDC’s candidate in the 2021 race.
Sources familiar with the closed-door meeting held on Tuesday say senior party figures played a key role in persuading Amuriat to step aside in favor of fresh leadership a move he ultimately accepted.
The party is expected to officially announce Mafabi’s endorsement at a press briefing scheduled for 10 a.m. today.
A veteran politician and a prominent figure within FDC, Mafabi has represented Budadiri West in Parliament since 2001, winning five consecutive elections the most recent with an overwhelming 85% of the vote.
He has steadily risen through the party’s ranks and is widely seen as a likely successor to Amuriat as party president.
Mafabi now enters a growing field of presidential hopefuls, including incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has been endorsed by the ruling NRM to extend his more than 40-year tenure; NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine; and retired Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, recently nominated by the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).
With his nomination, the FDC signals a strategic shift