NUP denies plans of holding nationwide demonstrations

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Unity Platform-NUP, the biggest opposition political party has denied having any plans to hold national wide demonstrations.

Speaking to the media today in Kampala, Joel Ssenyonyi, the spokesperson of NUP said if they had any such plans they would have announced them publicly like they have done in the past.

The spokesperson of the Uganda Police Fred Enanga told the press today that they have got intelligence information that NUP and other ‘violent political actors’ were planning to hold violent demonstrations aimed at destabilizing the country.

Enanga said the police he speaks for and other sister security agencies were ready to crush any such groups because such demonstrations are illegal as per the directives on the spread of Covid-19. However, Ssenyonyi said today that the talk of demonstrations is a creation of the security agencies in order to trigger government to release money for them.

The last time NUP declared national wide demonstrations was in February this year after they withdrew from court a petition challenging the victory of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. However, the calls went largely unheeded across the country. Since then, the party has never made any public pronouncement of demonstrations challenging President Museveni’s government.

Meanwhile, Ssenyonyi also called upon government to release four NUP members who were arrested in Kasese district last week on allegations of trying to overthrow President Museveni’s government. The four include Bwambaale Geoffrey, Mumbere Isaac, Basisa Brian and Isande Adonozio.

Ssenyonyi who is also the Nakawa West Member of Parliament said that he was surprised that police were arresting NUP members for just meeting to chart a way forward for their party after the January elections, but look the other way when the ruling National Resistance Movement leaders are also moving across the country holding meetings. He said its such selective application of rules by the police that forces them to disobey their orders.

*****

URN