Earlier on at his rally, Mao dared police to disrupt him lest they risk causing chaos that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party Presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will regret, saying he enjoys massive support at home compared to anybody else.
The Democratic
Party- presidential candidate Norbert Mao led a procession in Gulu City on Tuesday
evening shortly after addressing his final campaign rally. No sooner had Mao
addressed thousands of his supporters at Kaunda Grounds in Layibi-Bardege
division than he led them through the streets of Gulu City as police watched
helplessly.
Mao drove in a convoy of about 20 vehicles
accompanied by Simon Opoka, the DP Deputy Spokesperson, Lyandro Komakech, the
incumbent Gulu Municipality Member of Parliament who running for the
Layibi-Bardege Division parliament seat and Gulu City DP Woman parliamentary
candidate, Jolly Laker.
Mao, the other candidates and DP officials stood on top
of their vehicles backed by a soundtrack and they waved to the crowds and chanted
songs of victory in the general elections. Thousands
of voters comprising women, men and youth ululated and shouted as they promised
to vote Mao calling him their saviour.
Only a handful of the supporters and DP
officials wore facemask and observed social distancing as demanded by the
Ministry of Health and the Electoral Commission to contain the spread of
coronavirus disease.
The
procession went through Juba road, Main Street, Market Street, Olya Road to
Acholi Road bringing traffic flow and businesses to a standstill for several
minutes whenever they passed. Earlier on at his rally, Mao dared police to
disrupt him lest they risk causing chaos that the National Resistance Movement
(NRM) party Presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will regret, saying he
enjoys massive support at home compared to anybody else.
Mao asked the people to vote for him and the DP
candidates to bring change in the country and restore the presidential age
limit in the constitution. He also promised to promote agriculture, land
rights, service delivery and ensure equal opportunity and resource sharing in
the country regardless of people’s religious beliefs and tribes.
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In a
separate interview with URN on Tuesday morning, Mao asked voters to turn up
massively to cast their votes if they need change. He advised the voters to
ignore the propaganda of vote-rigging but instead focus on protecting their
votes.
Mao is vying for presidency alongside ten other candidates
including among others the incumbent president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of NRM,
Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Patrick Oboi Amuriat of
the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for
National Transition (ANT).
In 2011, Mao contested for Presidency and came
third after garnering 147,917 votes of the total votes cast representing 1.86%.
Kizza Besigye of the FDC was second with 2,064,963 votes while the incumbent
Museveni won with 5,428,369 votes representing 68.38% of total votes cast.
Uganda goes to polls on January Thursday 14th, 2021.
Emmy Daniel Ojara is a young journalist and has been practicing since 2013, during which he covered land rights violation in the contested Apaa and Lakang in Amuru as his first take ups while at Gulu Fm, Favor Fm and later Paidha Fm and Speak Fm where he is still attached.
Human rights abuses and denied access to land by security and government agencies has been the major aftermath of the contest over the lands. The underprivileged such as women, children and the elderly faced challenges in accessing soc
