Police has sealed off De Convent Lodge in Gulu where Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi intended to hold his consultative meeting.
Kyagulanyi announced on Tuesday morning that he was not going to attend the consultation physically but some members of his team would be present.
“We cannot go to Gulu when some of our colleagues are still detained at police after being arrested on Monday in Kansagati,” he said.
By 11:00, am, police was not allowing any person from accessing the facility yet it was the main venue for People Power consultative meeting.
According to the Acholi Sub region People Power Coordinator, Anthony Olinge, it’s this morning that police is telling us that the place is not in an enclosure something that to us is not making sense at all.
He accused police of accepting to be used yet what People Power is fighting for, they will be beneficiaries as well.
“We are giving the solution to the problem that we all have so that we live a meaningful life but you people, ( police), you are instead paying a deaf ear to join the team,’’ Mr Olinge told the police officers who were at the entrance to Da Covenant on Tuesday.
According to Mr Habib Jogo Asega, the person who is in charge of booking the venues also People Power Coordinator West-Nile region, said at the last minute police is telling them to have a police dog in place and fire-fighting truck as if we are here to set fire.
“We wrote to them on the first of this month, they did not get back to us and they are now telling us that the venue is not in any enclosure and giving other unnecessary demands,’’ he said
To Mr Jogo stopping us from carrying out the countrywide consultation is a sign of fear but no matter what they will not survive.,” Mr Museveni is already consulting and no one is disturbing him one wonders why People Power is being stopped to reach out to the voters,’’ he asked.
The proprietor of Da Covenant Mr Tony Kitara, said the People Power Pressure group booked the place for today’s meeting, however police argues that it’s not an enclosed place making it not suitable for the meeting.
“We are informed by police that this venue is not in an enclosed place but to me this is an enclosed place,’’ Mr Kitara said.
People Power has not communicated to us on their withdrawal from the venue, according to Mr Kitara.
The venue was hired at a tune of Shs 800,000 and a down payment of Shs 500,000, was already made.
Aswa region police spokesperson Jimmy Patrick Okema, confirmed that security personnel had been deployed to seal off the venue ( Da Covenant Hotel), since the organizers of the planned meeting breached the terms issued to them by police.
“They had been guided to choose venues that are enclosed (halls or conference rooms), but when you look at this venue it is open and there is no parking space. They were also to meet the regional police commander of each region and for us here, none of them have reached us,” Mr Okema said as quoted by the Daily Monitor.
