Leading Opposition Members of Parliament have asked President Museveni to officially make an apology to them over his remarks that they were responsible for the killing of NRM leaning Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga.
Abiriga was gunned down together with his brother on Friday evening by unknown assassins on his way back home in Kawanda, Wakiso district.
They are pigs!
In his moving speech, President Museveni said there was a possibility that Abiriga was killed by the opposition because of his commitment to the NRM.
“The people who killed Abiriga seemed to have done so because of his commitment to the NRM party. They are just pigs” The President said
If that is the case, the killers have miscalculated and shown their political bankruptcy. Why kill somebody because you don’t agree with him? Why don’t you defeat his ideas with your better ideas,” The President added.
Opposition reacts
Not letting the Presidents remarks pass easily, leading Opposition Leaders today said the President was misguided in thinking that they would have killed Abiriga and asked him to apologise
First to react was Democratic Party President Norbert Mao who laughed off the accusation calling it a “weak shot”.
Mao described this as cheap politics which was likely to cause an unhealthy debate in the country.
The President is being Petty
“These are the kind of people who don’t know the kind of contest we are in. Obviously we launched the K’ogikwatako campaign from here (at DP); Abiriga was our political opponent, we disagreed strongly with his support for Article 102 Amendment and even those who voted for amendment remain our political opponents, but killing is not one of our methods,” Mao said.
Mao said that from the onset, the Democratic Party is a non-violent organization which can’t involve itself is killings and murders.
“We have stated before that our organization is a non-violent organization, so if tomorrow I am killed, will it be NRM? That kind of debate is extremely unhealthy and I call for maturity within the NRM. There is even no basis for us to be suspected,” Mao noted.
Opposition has also lost some members
The DP President added that a number of opposition leaders have died in the recent past giving an example of the former Bukomansimbi Woman MP Suzan Namaganda who died in a car accident, yet the opposition has never come out to put the blame of NRM.
“The NRM shouldn’t go in that direction otherwise the debate will become extremely unhealthy… I think NRM should not use Abiriga’s death to play cheap politics. Those who voted to lift presidential age limit should take responsibility for their action, in fact they should be jubilating.”
Mao advised NRM and other Ugandans to wait for the final report from the police instead of trading opinions which might be dangerous to the society.
“Whoever says that the opposition killed the late Abiriga is entitled to their petty opinion.”