Go-forward Presidential Candidate John Patrick Amama Mbabazi has warned the Electoral Commission to desist from succumbing to pressures from government in order to have a free, fair and transparent electoral process. Mbabazi who was addressing a press conference at his residence in Kololo revealed that if the Electoral Commission was to be given absolute freedom they would be objective. He stressed that EC Chairman Dr. Kiggundu will ultimately be answerable if the polls aren’t free and fair.
EC will be responsible and will be held to account if the polls aren’t free and fair. They should be objective because the country entrusted them with the responsibility to conduct the polls, Mbabazi said.
The former prime minister and NRM Party secretary General condemned the arrest of Dr. Kizza Besigye and said that the incident is aimed at intimidating and instilling fear in the mind of the voter.
If the police can fire tear gas and live bullets before the elections, then what will happen on the election day? He asked.
Mbabazi also indicated that he has got reports that the NRM party has plans to rig the polls though he said he wasn’t sure whether the plans would be executed.
Mbabazi also commended the rank and file of the police whom he described as non-partisan and alright and bashed a few high ranking commanders in the force for being partisan.
The rank and the file in the police force are generally good though there a few high ranking commanders who are partisan, he said.
He added:
We (Go-forward) are happy that we successfully completed the campaigns because different people tried to bribe and intimidate us to stop campaigning.
Mbabazi defied EC directive to ban the use of mobile phones around the polling stations and revealed that the state has gone into panic.
It’s absolutely ridiculous to ban the use of mobile phones at the polling stations. What is the Electoral Commission hiding? He asked.
He appealed to all Ugandans to vote for him because he is the only candidate who will ensure that Uganda gets change with continuity.
From all the campaigns we have held all over the country People are yearning for change and my presidency will build on the achievements already attained, he said. He promised to provide services to the people without discrimination.
