Amuriat, who made the allegations while being hosted on the Hot Seat, a political and current affairs talk show on KFM, a Ugandan radio, said that his troubles started when he asserted his presidency in the FDC, which was looked at by some party members as defying a person whose power is questionable.
"I was seen as a Besigye boy. Someone who would bow for him and take orders from him. I had a lot of respect for our founding president. But I am also known to be a man of my own; someone who is a man of his own. I went on to assert my presidency, and I think that is where my problems started from. They looked at me as someone who defied someone whose power in the party is questionable. I was then seen as someone who is hostile to Katonga," Amuriat said.
He added, "Some people expected me to lock horns with Nathan Nandala Mafabi, but I saw no fault in him as long as he did what was right. The fact is that we have been exonerated of all the accusations made against us — accusations of dirty money. I went into the 2021 presidential elections without the support of Katonga. Besigye folded his arms because he had his own candidate at NUP. Some in the party felt I should have given way to Besigye’s candidate of choice, who was the NUP candidate."
"What has happened in Katonga today underlines the fact that there was a quake in the party that was intended to destroy me, the secretary-general, and also, to a certain extent, the treasurer-general of the party. Besigye wanted to control the party. That is for sure. He wanted to direct the party to whatever position he wanted it to go. We thought this would serve individual interests, which was unacceptable to us."
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, the FDC delegates conference, which was organised by party chairperson Wasswa Birigwa and held at Katonga offices, unanimously resolved to throw out their party president Patrick Amuriat and secretary general Nandala Mafabi, naming an interim leadership headed by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
Party members also resolved to suspend Geofrey Ekanya and electoral head Toterebuka Bamwenda.
The conference attracted quite a number of party members, including party officials from upcountry areas such as Busia.
During the event, police also used teargas to disperse top members of the FDC who wanted to attend.