FDC won’t leave campaign trail
Mr Amuriat was ordered to vacate the town and proceed straight to where they he planned to meet about 200 supporters in Anaka Town.
Kampala/Gulu- The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party yesterday vowed to stay in the pursuit for the presidency through the ongoing campaigns despite some candidates suspending their schedules.
After National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, was arrested on Wednesday, his counterpart for Alliance for National Platform (ANT) Gen Mugisha Muntu and Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde, an independent, suspended their campaigns until the former is released.
Addressing journalists at the party headquarters yesterday, FDC chairperson Wasswa Biriggwa insisted that they will not give up despite their candidate, Mr Patrick Amuriat, being arrested by the army and police.
“We shall continue fighting. We shall be arrested and when we are arrested, another person will take the place of that who has been arrested and continue because this is not only for the presidential campaign. This is a move for the people of Uganda to be liberated,” Mr Biriggwa said.
“For those who are unable to continue, we shall represent them until they are able to move. But we should not give room for Museveni to think that he has won. This campaign is going to continue until we have no breath in our bodies,” he added.
Managing crowds
Mr Biriggwa also lashed out at the security forces who accused Opposition candidates for failing to regulate or contain supporters that turn out in big numbers at their campaign venues.
“To blame candidates for bringing crowds is either a naïve or stupidity of the worst kind. When you are in the campaign people want to see and hear from you,” he said.
FDC presidential candidate was arrested on Wednesday while campaigning in Gulu District.
Mr Amuriat, who was later released,
revealed that he had sustained injuries in the process of arrest and while in police custody.
“Yes I feel sick but this is the life in which I am but as an activist and politician, this is a path I chose to follow and I think I will follow it religiously,” he told Daily Monitor yesterday in Gulu Town.
He also revealed that police had insisted that it would escort him out of Gulu City to ensure that he does not have crowds on his trail to Nwoya District.
After hearing that some of his colleagues had called off their campaigns following the brutal arrest of Bobi Wine and himself, Mr Amuriat thought the party was going to tell him to do the same.
Mr Amuriat, who waited for the party communication from 7am, decided to move to Nwoya District at 11am where he was slated to address his supporters.
He was, however, welcomed by the area district police commander and his team that had camped there to ensure that does not make any stopover or wave to his supporters who were cheering him.
Mr Amuriat was ordered to vacate the town and proceed straight to where they he planned to meet about 200 supporters in Anaka Town.
He conducted about four rallies in Nwoya before proceeding to Amuru District. Mr Amuriat at most rallies asked Acholi people to vote wisely if they also want to have better jobs.
