The Forum for Democratic Change presidential flag bearer, Patrick Oboi Amuriat has said that he won’t follow Electoral Commission key guidelines as issued in the roadmap given to political actors ahead of general 2021 campaigns.
While speaking to the media at the party headquarters, Amuriat said, the idea of holding campaign meetings of not more than 70 attendees is impossible in Uganda.
Amuriat issued the threat while meeting his campaign coordination team from Kampala and Wakiso at the party headquarters in Najanankumbi.
He opines that if government thought it was not ready to organize a fully democratic free and fair election, it should have called off the exercise.
Amuriat also revealed that he will not accept going to the nomination centre with only ten people.
Meanwhile Amuriat has also expressed discontent over what he calls the increasing commercialization of politics and buying of voters to stop them from making independent decisions.
FDC party also joined parliament to demand government’s intervention to help clear Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB registration fees for candidates in private schools.
At the beginning of this month, Parliament passed a resolution urging the government to meet the cost of registering all candidates for their final examinations on grounds that most parents are still struggling with the effects of the lockdown.
Statistics from UNEB show that if the government agrees to the proposal it would spend around Shs32billion for the candidates in private schools.
Every Ordinary Level candidate is required to pay Shs200,000 while those in Advanced Level pay Sh220,000.
Some private schools have raised the fees to Shs300,000.
However, the Information and National Guidance Minister, Judith Nabakooba, said government is currently only able to pay registration fees for students under Universal Primary and Secondary schools.
John Kikonyogo, the FDC Deputy Spokesperson, noted that besides parents who are suffering from financial instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many private school proprietors are going through a hard time.
