The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hundreds of campaign posters of the Forum For Democratic Change-FDC candidates in Gulu City have been defaced ahead of the National Resistance Movement-NRM Presidential candidate, Yoweri Museveni’s campaigns. Museveni is expected to hold his campaign rally at Watoto Church open grounds in Layibi-Bardege Division Gulu City later today.
His visit has cost FDC candidates their campaign posters. Some of those whose posters have been defaced are the FDC Presidential Candidate, Patrick Oboi Amuriat, Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) Betty Aol Ocan and Patrick Oola Lumumba, the Layibi-Bardege FDC mayoral candidate.
Most of their campaign posters that were pinned along Gulu Main Street, Coronation road, Ring road, market Street and Bank Lane among others have disappeared without any trace. Patrick Oola Lumumba, the Gulu City FDC Party Chairperson told URN on Monday morning that the campaign posters of their candidates were either or torn covered by Museveni’s posters.
He noted that the vice started about two weeks ago, saying that he personally lost hundreds of his posters pinned in different locations. Oola suspects that this is the handwork of agents of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. He has threatened to forward the matter to Electoral Commission for redress.
On Sunday evening and this morning, our reporter toured various streets in Gulu City and indeed discovered that campaign posters of FDC candidates were either defaced or covered by Museveni`s posters. The reporter also observed that a few campaign posters of Museveni had also been defaced or covered by the posters of opposition candidates.
Samuel Oyet Agwani, the NRM Gulu City Media Coordinator downplayed the accusations leveled against his party, saying FDC party members are defacing their posters to tarnish the image of the ruling party.
Early last week, Simon Wokorach alias Batak, the Chairperson Gulu City Boda-boda Association revealed that they had received information that some Boda boda operators in Gulu and other parts of Acholi Sub Region are being used to deface campaign posters.
Section 82 (2) of the parliamentary Elections Act 2005, makes it illegal to deface campaign posters. It states that a person who maliciously tears, defaces and removes a poster of a nominated candidate commits an offence is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty currency points or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.
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