FDC threaten to quit IPOD as Police trains officers to manage rioters

By Charles Katabalwa and Olivia Nabaggala

29^th April 2019

The opposition forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has threatened to quit the Interparty Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) if the member parties fail to walk their talk.

The FDC Deputy party spokesperson John Kikonyogo says the recent IPOD meeting attended by senior government officials led by the Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda agreed that the Public Order Management Act (POMA) is illegally implemented and needs to be amended within 10 days and all actions of police against any political party should be put on hold.

However, the continued targeting of the FDC stopping it from holding rallies in different parts of the country that in most cases has ended chaotic.

Kikonyogo said they had called for an emergency party National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to decide on the next step and whether to stay in the IPOD or quit.

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson Fred Enanga says FDC is the sole political party that has defiantly refused to follow the requirements of the public order management act [POMA] where they are supposed to notify the police within 14 days, the venue and the number of people expected in their assemblies for them to plan accordingly which they are not ready to accept.

Enanga says given the continued defiance from the opposition political actors, police is training more officers to manage them.