By Chris Ocowun

FDC presidential candidate Kizza Besigye was on Friday blocked from campaigning on FM radios in Gulu.
Besigye had gone to Gulu after addressing rallies in Lira and Apac districts, to see the injured Aswa County MP Reagan Okumu at Gulu Independent Hospital.

The Electoral Commission (EC) and security forces blocked Besigye, saying he had no programme in Gulu. He spent the night in Gulu and proceeded to West Nile for his campaign on Saturday.

Okumu, who is also the FDC secretary for foreign affairs, was taken to the hospital last Monday after he and his wife Jane Atim got injured in a motor accident at Kiryandongo in Masindi district on the Gulu-Kampala highway.

The northern regional Police commander, who is also the regional EC security committee chairman, PK Arinaitwe, said, “Besigye could not be allowed to hold radio talk-shows because he needed clearance from the EC.”

The district registrar of the EC, Nancy Akello, said, “Besigye had no programme here on Friday. He was supposed to be in Masindi but he should have reported to the EC before going for radio talk-shows instead of taking us unawares.”

“I don’t think people should feel my existence in Gulu but it helps sometimes. Candidates should follow drawn programmes,” she said.

Gulu municipality MP Norbert Mao said blocking Besigye from talking over radio by the security forces shows how partisan the security forces are.