DP’s Mao suspends campaigns, calls for suspension of elections

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Democratic Party – DP presidential candidate Nobert Mao has suspended his campaigns due to the ongoing violence, killings, harassment, bloodshed, arrest and detention of opposition presidential candidates and innocent Ugandans.

This follows the arrest and detention of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi wine, the National Unity Platform-NUP presidential candidate on Wednesday.

Kyagulanyi was arrested in Luuka district for flouting COVID-19 guidelines and is still detained at Nalufenya police station in Jinja city.

His arrest has since sparked off protests in different parts of the country where hundreds took to the streets demanding for his release.

Mao announced the suspension of his campaigns on Thursday evening while addressing the press at Hoima EKA Hotel in Hoima East division Hoima city.

According to Mao, he cannot continue traversing the country soliciting for votes amidst the ongoing bloodshed, violence, arbitrary arrests, harassment and detention of opposition presidential candidates and innocent Ugandans by the security forces.

Mao who was scheduled to campaign in Hoima and Kikuube districts on Thursday says all his rallies have been suspended until further notice.

He made it clear that the ongoing tension in the country is a clear manifestation that Ugandans are tired of the current NRM government headed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and therefore calls for a peaceful transition of power.

He says the killing of innocent Ugandans by security operatives must strongly be condemned adding that the police and other security agencies should stop being partisan in politics.

Mao has advised the police to ensure by all means that they stop the violence by not surrendering their constitutional duty to armed civilians who he says are currently taking charge and recklessly shooting at innocent Ugandans.

The DP party president has further tasked the Electoral Commission – EC to suspend the 2021 general elections saying where the country has reached, the outcomes of the elections are not going to give a leveled ground for Ugandans.

Mao pledged that if elected president, his government would establish a Public University in Bunyoro. He says it is very absurd that the NRM government that has been in power for the last 35 years and has failed to establish a Public University in Bunyoro yet it is the region where President Museveni gets a lot of votes. He too pledged to ensure that Bunyoro gets a special revenue sharing on oil following the discovery of the resource in the region.

On Wednesday, opposition presidential candidates Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu and Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde too suspended their presidential campaigns until the release of National Unity Platform’s presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

The Electoral Commission set November 9th to January 12th, 2021 as campaign periods for presidential candidates and Members of Parliament with elections set to be held on January 14th.

Eleven presidential candidates have been nominated to contest for the presidency by the electoral commission.

The candidates especially those vying for the Presidential positions have been traversing various parts of the country soliciting for support to be elected since last week.

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