The Democratic Party (DP) has vowed to defy police if the force infringes on people’s constitutional rights while debating the presidential age limit cap, party President Norbert Mao, has said.
According to Mr Mao, the police should distance itself from party politics and focus on crime prevention in the country instead of exhibiting bias during the debate.
Addressing a press conference at party headquarters today, Mao said the DP campaign dubbed ‘Togikwatako’ is aimed at curtailing those pushing for the removal of the age limit.
“This is a defiance campaign with a difference of strategy and leadership and this time’s difference is organization aimed at making grounds hot for the likes of Col. Abiriga’s,” Mr. Mao said. Abiriga, the MP for Arua Municipality, is so far the most pronounced protagonist for the removal of the age limit, deemed a means of keeping President Yoweri Museveni in power beyond the constitutional age cap of 75 years.
‘’We must push our way to Constitution Square to claim for our constitutional rights,” Mao said, adding that the Square “is not meant to campaign for blood donation, hepatitis B’ nor resting place for police officers.”
After launching the Togikwatako campaign at DP headquarters last week, Mao and other DP leaders were arrested and detained at the Central Police Station while they attempted to go to the City Square to put up a banner decampaigning the removal of the presidential age limit cap.
“This campaign is like killing a snake, you don’t need to ask permission, this time they are hitting it at the head because others have just been injuring it making it more vicious,” he said.
He promised to ask the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to give reasons why she says that debate on lifting presidential the age limit is immature.
“Can you believe a goat which says I will not eat potato leaves,” Mao said adding that President Yoweri Museveni is power hungry.
According to Mao, Kadaga is first and foremost a Member of Parliament who should involve herself in soliciting for signatures aimed at stopping the lifting of the presidential age limit. He promised to also engage some suspected anti-age limit removal National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs like Okot Ogong, to join the ‘campaign’.
