Police have arrested Buikwe South Member of Parliament, Dr. Lulume Bayiga and some other Democratic Party (DP) members including Samuel Walter Lubega Mukaaku.
The arrest was effected as they attempted to gain access into the party offices on Balintuma road in Kampala.
Police is yet to provide details regarding the development, but a personal assistant to Dr Lulume has told Plus News that the legislator is currently detained at Old Kampala Police Station.
Commenting on the incident, Okoler Opio Lo Amanu, the DP spokesperson, described the incident as an invasion whose intentions are not known.
“We regret the incident that happened today morning at DP campaign command center -Balintuma Road where a group of people claiming to be members of DP led by Buikwe South MP Hon. Lulume Bayiga invaded the party offices with intentions yet unknown,” Opio said.
“Kindly consider the same as an act of indiscipline from the the said member of parliament. Though being a party premise there is an established procedure that at least is known to members of DP to access and use it for any function, this was not followed ipso facto the leadership regrettably learnt of the incident after it had occurred.”
“Democratic Party leadership is committed to organize the venue for party members who wish to utilize the party premises for among others holding functions,” he added.
Lulume is among the DP members who were not irked by the working cooperation agreement between the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the Democratic Party (DP) that led to appointment of Mao as the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, on grounds that it was an individual decision, not a processed party.
“Mao was just job hunting. And that’s the reason he signed the cooperation agreement,” said Lulume recently.
He added, “Once President Museveni lost the former speaker of Parliament, he lost a very crucial person in Northern Uganda and had become vulnerable.” He needed a replacement in Mao.”
Lulume, however, asserted that it’s okay for Mao to lobby for a job for himself and his associates as long as they make it clear that this is not a party position.
Consequently, Lulume and his colleagues embarked on a campaign to demand that Mao relinquishes his position as party president and take on the ministerial post.
“Democratic Party will soon have a new President. We shall call on our colleagues to rejoin us, and DP will again be strong,” he said.
The same group a couple of weeks back were briefly arrested while holding a demonstration against the same. They sung songs of disapproval to Mao leadership as well as asserting that their party is not for sale.