Three FDC leaders ‘kidnapped, robbed’ as Dokolo picks Ogwal’s successor

Three leaders of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party have allegedly been kidnapped in Dokolo as the district goes to votes its Woman Member of Parliament today.
 
FDC president Patrick Oboi Amuriat said the three party officials, including his personal assistant, Ayub Kigongo, were intercepted from Bata Town Council as they were travelling to the neighbouring Okwalongwen Sub-county to deliver money to their agents.
 
“The leaders were going to Bata Town Council and Okwalongwen Sub-county to give money to agents. They were kidnapped and driven back to Dokolo and money worth over Shs1 million stolen from them. And I think this should not be happening in an election like this,” Mr Amuriat told journalists at Angwecibange Primary School polling station, Dokolo Town Council, where he had gone to monitor the exercise.   
 
The kidnapped FDC officials were reportedly later dumped somewhere in Dokolo Town, the party president said, adding that they recorded statements with the police in Dokolo and the Regional Police Commander assured him that something would be done to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.
 
“And one of them (culprits) is said to be an official of government at the rank of Resident City Commissioner based in Lira and one wonders why such an important government official would do this,” he added.

 
“So, for us as FDC, we want an apology, we demand a refund of more than Shs1 million taken away from us that should have been put to use this day and a day before.”
 
However, Superintendent of Police Patrick Jimmy Okema, North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, dismissed the allegations as baseless.
 
“FDC is looking for cheap popularity. Nobody was kidnapped, arrested or robbed, but that does not stop us from investigating that purported case,” he said.
 
The FDC leader further said they had also witnessed cases of voters being ferried to polling stations and voter bribery happening along the roads to polling stations.
 
“I have been in the whole of Amwoma Sub-county, Bata Town Council and Okwalongwen Sub-county. Generally, my observation is that voter turn up is still low, and I think something ought to have been done to mobilise the voters to turn up for this by-election,” he said.
 
Mr Maxwell Akora, Maruzi County Member of Parliament, Uganda People Congress (UPC) supervisor in Dokolo Town Council, said he visited the 18 polling stations in Dokolo Town Council and found their agents working well.
 
“The main anomaly we found was that most polling stations were not well organised according to plan, maybe because the presiding officers were either not informed or were playing some games,” he said.
 
“Actually, we met officials from the Electoral Commission and they also noticed the problem and told us to reorganise the polling stations,” he said.
 

‘UPC winning by over 60 per cent’
 
The legislator said they have not seen much deployment of security personnel.
 
“We have seen some police personnel but there is no military presence at most of the polling stations or on the roads to polling stations in Dokolo. So far, we haven't had any incidents. We have seen one of the police vehicles running around doing routine patrol,” Mr Akora added.
 
“We expect to win by over 60 per cent. I can’t say 80 per cent because you can never know there are many people in the race. But we expect to win by over 60 per cent which is a landslide per cent and I hope the results will come like that.”
 
FDC leadership maintained that the seat that became vacant following the death of their member, Cecilia Atim Ogwal on January 18 will be occupied by the deceased’ daughter, Dr Rosemary Alwoch, also FDC flag bearer.  
 
“What I can say is that we have hyped our game, we are monitoring this election and we are hoping for a good result out of it,” he said.
 
Peace within voters
 
By the time of filing this report, voters were generally peaceful. In most of the polling stations visited by this publication, there were no interruptions by security operatives or violent scene as the case has been in other by-elections held before.

Background
 
The country’s electoral body cleared seven candidates to run for the parliamentary seat, which became vacant following the death of Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal on January 18.
 
However, Dr Grace Hanna Lalam, an Independent candidate, stepped down just three days to the election after she “lost interest” in the seat. 
 
The battle is now between the late Ogwal’s daughter, Dr Rosemary Alwoch of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, Ms Harriet Ageno of National Unity Platform (NUP), and Ms Janet Rose Adongo Elau Okello of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. Others are Ms Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party, Dr Esther Akullo Obot Otada and Ms Rebecca Arao, all independent candidates.
 
Voters
 
Candidates are battling for 95,693 voters who are voting from 173 polling stations scattered across the entire Dokolo District.