Opposition presidential candidates meet, say no activity will take place until Bobi Wine is set free

Opposition presidential candidates have threatened that they will not take part in any electoral process (campaigns) until the state sets Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine free.

The politicians’ warning follows yesterday’s brutal arrest and detention of Bobi Wine. The presidential candidate who is currently detained at Nalufenya Prison in Jinja was arrested on Wednesday as he was trying to hold a rally in Luuka district. His arrest sparked off protests in some parts of the country that left seven people dead and over 40 injured.

One of the presidential candidates Norbert Mao revealed on Thursday that he has held a teleconference with his fellow candidates and they have agreed to take steps ensure credible elections, defend the rights of fellow candidates from the democracy seeking camp, combat police brutality and come up with a plan that will assure citizens that there’s an alternative to the discredited status quo.

“Today morning I had a teleconference with Hon. Patrick Amuriat, the FDC Presidential Candidate, Gen. Mugisha Muntu, the ANT Presidential Candidate and Mr. Lewis Lubongoya and Hon. Beatrice Kiraso representing the NUP’s Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi and independent Presidential Candidate Gen. Henry Tumukunde. We held consultations and agreed that we have to take steps to ensure credible elections, defend the rights of fellow candidates from the democracy seeking camp, combat police brutality and generally stop the madness on our streets by proposing a plan that will assure citizens that there’s an alternative to the discredited status quo,” Mao said.

The Democratic Party president also called for an end to violence and bloodshed.

“FIRST THINGS FIRST! Let’s stop the violence and bloodshed. The NUP Presidential Candidate must be freed immediately. There is more at stake than who becomes the next president. The whole future of Uganda is at stake.The whole future of Uganda is at stake. Guardians of the law are lawless. Citizens are turning on each other rather than to each other. Riots by unruly mobs and the killing of unarmed civilians are not the answer to our current predicament. Stigmatization of entire political groups and heaping collective guilt on all for the crimes of a few is totally unacceptable,” he said.

“The lives of innocent civilians are more important than an empty ritual purporting to be an election. We have to engage with EVERYBODY to restore sanity in our country. Let us come together to break the cycle of violence in our country.”