Bobi Wine, Police agree on consultations

Kyandondo East Member of Parliament, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine has said he’s going to reschedule his consultation program for his presidential bid, following a meeting with Police and Electoral Commission officials on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists at his offices in Kamwokya hours after a meeting with the Police leadership and the Electoral Commission (EC) on Thursday, Mr Kyagulanyi said that there was an agreement among the three parties that, it is within his right as a presidential aspirant to reach out to Ugandans without any restrictions from the police and other security organs.

“We know that the EC is the institution responsible for overseeing and organizing elections. We had planned to see them but they also invited us to have a conversation. We decided that we are going to reschedule the program for our consultations. We shall write to the Electoral Commission and also write to the police,” he said.

Mr Kyagulanyi sounded optimistic that this time around, their consultation meetings will not be disrupted by the police like it has been this week in Wakiso, Gulu and Lira despite observing all provisions of the Public Order Management Act.

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“This time we want the police to observe the law and not to behave in an illegal manner. The EC promised to follow the matter very closely because that’s their responsibility. We are going back to rescheduling board and I can guarantee that they [consultations] will all happen,” he said.

Mr Kyagulanyi was accompanied to the EC headquarters by Mr Asuman Basalirwa, People Power spokesman, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, Executive Secretary, Mr David Louis Rubongoya and the head of the legal team Mr Benjamin Katana and Ms Flavia Kalule Nabagabe.

Mr Basalirwa said they made it very clear to the police that they are no longer going to obey any orders they deem illegal from the police.

“We don’t expect what has been happening to ensue again because we have told the EC that whatever the police have been doing is illegal. But in the event that it happens again, we are not going to obey any directive we think is illegal,” he said.

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Mr Basalirwa added that if anyone tries to carry out violence against them, they will take them on as individuals according to law.

“We have asked police not to deploy officers who don’t have name tags on their uniforms so that we can identify them individually.”

Ms Kalule said as People Power they have no interests in having confrontations with the police, but rather they want to reach out to Ugandans to get their views.

“If police thinks that we are doing campaigns, they should come and be part of these meetings so that they know what we are looking for. The ultimate desire of People Power is to reach to Ugandans and get their views on the Uganda they want,” she said.