Opposition political parties have today declared a week of sporadic protests against lifting the presidential age limit that, according to the 1995 Constitution, is capped at 75 years.
The group including leaders of the Democratic Party (DP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEEMA) joins opposition MPs, who yesterday also launched a similar campaign.
The developments come in the wake of the legal and parliamentary affairs committee preparing to deliver a report constituting ‘people’s views’ about age limit Bill that was tabled by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi.
In the joint press briefing held at Parliament, the opposition party presidents vowed to lead voters to the august house to ‘instruct’ their representatives to vote against removal of the age limit that has met stiff resistance from many sections of Ugandans who argue that it is aimed at keeping President Yoweri Museveni in power perpetually.
“I call upon the other parts of the country to join the population in Kampala on the day when this bill is to be tabled; we call upon all people to assemble at Parliament,” the newly-elected FDC president Patrick Amuriat Obol, said.
According Amuriat, protestors will be clad in red attire and do not expect any interference from the security agencies.
“We believe the security forces will cooperate with us in whatever we shall do,” he said.
He added: “We will never relent when Museveni is pushing the age limit bill down the throats of Ugandans; the removal of Article 102 (b) will lead to anarchy in this country.”
Democtaric Party boss Norbert Mao urged Ugandans to “stand firm against president Museveni’s despotic ambitions” saying that this is “the beginning of the end of the Museveni regime.”
“We don’t hate president Museveni; we don’t want him to experience what happened to Mugabe, we are just helping him so that the country can test Article 102 (b), because the term limits were not tested,” Mr Mao said.
And JEEMA President Asuman Basalirwa appealed to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, her deputy Jacob Oulanyah and the Attorney General not to resume discussions about the bill due to pending court injunctions filed at the East African Court of Justice and the High Court of Uganda.
