FDC won the 2016 presidential elections – Amuriat
Amuriat and his team after being blocked from accessing a campaign venue
Kanungu/Kabale-The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party presidential candidate, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, has reiterated the party position that they won the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Amuriat said they were robbed of their victory by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
On a number of occasions, the FDC party has said they won the 2016 election which forced the then presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, to declare himself winner, swear himself in and declare a people’s government.
While addressing supporters at Kanungu District playground yesterday, Mr Amuriat said he joined this election to reclaim FDC’s 2016 victory.
“We won the 2016 election with 52.8 per cent but Museveni and his party stole our victory. The main reason we took part in this election is to reclaim our victory. Museveni uses a number of tactics to steal elections. In this election he is using security and intimidation,” Mr Amuriat said.
He added that the security are blocking them from addressing the masses because they fear that they (masses) will open their eyes to reality and what transpired in 2016.
Mr Amuriat said for the 35 years President Museveni has been in power, he has been rigging elections.
Mr Amuriat said on many occasion the President has come up with programmes like Entandiikwa, Operation Wealth Creation, Boona Bagagawale, and Emyooga, which are all being used to siphon tax payers money.
According to Mr Amuriat, President Museveni is using the Covid-19 guidelines to bar political contenders from speaking to the public saying that if it was a normal election, he (Museveni) would not have managed because of the impassable roads which he has failed to work on.
He, however, said they have an obligation of completing the liberation struggle that was started by Dr Besigye.
Mr Amuriat was campaigning in the districts of Kanungu and Rukungiri.
Amuriat blocked in Kabale
Meanwhile, police in Kabale Town on Sunday blocked Mr Amuriat from accessing Kigezi High School lower playground to address supporters.
Officials in the district said Mr Amuriat’s time had elapsed.
Mr Amuriat entered Kabale Town at around 6pm which was past his expected time of 2pm, according to the programme released by Mr Roland Mugume Kaginda, the FDC national mobiliser.
The standoff paralysed traffic on Kabale–Kisoro Road in Kabale Town for about an hour.
“His campaign time is over. If he dares to campaign past the official time, he will be arrested for flouting the electoral commission guidelines,” Mr Darius Nandinda, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner, said.
Mr Amuriat said he had not committed any offence because as per Electoral Commission timetable he was supposed to be in Kabale on Sunday.
“I was already in Kabale Town and the issue of stopping me from addressing my supporters on grounds that it was past time is false,” Mr Amuriat said told this reporter.
After one hour of standoff, Mr Amuriat drove away while flashing a V-sign from the open roof of his car to his supporters who were standing on shop verandas despite the tear gas explosions and the late hour.
The FDC party general secretary for Kabale District, Mr Richard Muhanguzi, said blocking their candidate to access the meeting venue was a cowardly move by police.
He appealed to Ugandans to vote for change of leadership of the country in next year’s general elections.
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