Radio station apologises to Museveni for hosting Otunnu

Lira/ Kampala
A radio station owned by former state minister for youth Felix Okot Ogong has publicly apologised to President Museveni for hosting UPC president Olara Otunnu, it has emerged.

It is understood that President Museveni on Tuesday asked Mr Ogong, the proprietor of Voice of Lango FM and an NRM legislator representing Dokolo County, to make a public apology for having allowed his employees to host the former UN diplomat who allegedly defamed him.
Mr Otunnu has been summoned to appear before the police today in relation to those remarks.

Presidential call
Mr Ogong yesterday confirmed having received several phone calls from the President who asked that the MP’s radio station apologises over the matter and retract Mr Otunnu’s remarks.

“Otunnu paid for the show and he said President Museveni was behind the war in northern Uganda,” he said.

“The President was angered by these remarks. He (the President) rang to tell me he was not happy with people spreading lies and asked me to correct the information,” Mr Ogong, told Daily Monitor by telephone.

Mr Otunnu while speaking on Voice of Lango FM radio on Monday evening during a talk-show hosted by the station manager, Mr Rolex Akena Ogwal, accused President Museveni of financing the war in northern Uganda.
The talk-show also featured Gulu District Residence District Commissioner Walter Ochora who counteracted Mr Otunnu’s remarks calling them lies.
The station has since run the apology, which aired on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The apology
It read: “Following the radio talk show which took place on Voice of Lango FM on Monday 12 April, 2010, featuring Mr Olara Otunnu – UPC party president and his cabinet, the directors and management of Voice of Lango FM have learnt that some of the utterances in the talk show angered the head of state H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

“The directors and management of Voice of Lango FM do sincerely apologise to the President and any other person whose feelings were injured by such utterance.”
Mr Ogong, who harbored intention of challenging President Museveni for the NRM flag bearer’s position during the 2011 elections yesterday said he was getting threats from anonymous people claiming that his radio faces closure.