FDC leaders ask government to withdraw police, army from Besigye’s home

L-R: LoP Wafula Oguttu, the FDC vice chairperson eastern region Alice Alaso, party president Gen Mugisha Muntu and the party’s national chairman Wasswa Birigwa. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leaders have asked government to withdraw police and the army from their presidential candidate Kizza Besigye’s home in Kasangati, Wakiso District and the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi.
FDC party president Gen Mugisha Muntu while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi today, made several demands and reiterated that there should be an independent audit of the February 18 presidential elections which saw National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s Yoweri Museveni declared winner with 60.75 per cent of the total number of votes cast.

“We demand the establishment to do an independent audit of the February 18 presidential elections. We have a situation in the country where the presidential candidate who lost was declared a winner,” he said.
According to him, Dr Kizza Besigye has been arrested nine times in 11 days.

Flanked by FDC national party chairman Wasswa Birigwa, Serere Woman MP Alice Alaso and leader of opposition in Parliament Wafula Oguttu, Gen Muntu further noted that in pursuit of their objectives, they will continue engaging civil society, religious leaders, among other concerned bodies.
“It is the legitimate right of any Ugandan singularly or collectively to engage in any civic struggle and defend our rights and freedom,” he added.
Muntu also demanded for the release of their supporters whom he says were arrested and are being detained by police.

The police, on the day after the elections on February 19, raided the FDC headquarters, sprayed the premises with teargas and arrested the top party leaders who had been meeting in preparation for a press conference.
The police said the party intended to declare Dr Besigye winner of the election. There have also been a number of arrests of FDC members in different parts of the country, like Mbarara and Ibanda in western Uganda, who the police said were members of Dr Besigye’s Power 10 who were preparing to participate in chaos. The FDC claims that about 300 of its members countrywide have been arrested since election day.