Democratic Party President Norbert Mao over the weekend had a cat and mouse chase with police as he eluded them for allegedly campaigning at night in Bungatira sub-county in Gulu district.
Mr Mao who was in the company of DP party officials from the region was intercepted while having a chat at a Wang OO (a fire place) with supporters of Kitara Tony, the DP candidate for Aswa Constituency.
Police is said to have received information on the presence of the DP party president canvassing for votes while disguising it to be a fire place conversation on culture and civic education.
A brief scuffle ensued between the locals and the police and in the process Mao and DP Gulu Municipality contestant escaped from the scene.
Although reports had emerged that the DP party president had been arrested and detained, Mr Mao clarified on his Facebook on Monday morning that he wasn’t in custody.
In his message, Mr Mao acknowledged that he had a scuffle with police.
“The police gave chase but we used ‘‘Besigye like tactics’’ to confound and elude them. We then surfaced at another Wang oo much later to the relief of the people,” Mao wrote on his Facebook wall.
He didn’t however specify the location where they surfaced next for wang oo.
Mao condemned police for interfering with the Acholi ‘‘cultural civic education’’ which is carried out in homesteads at night while sitting around a fireside.
The Registrar Electoral Commission Gulu, Mr Benson Obete, when contacted said he had not received information on Mr Mao being intercepted while canvassing for votes at night but noted that he will launch an inquiry into the matter.
Obete said he had received information that many politicians have night meeting with locals around the fire place which he said is illegal.
Aswa Regional police Spokesperson, Jimmy Patrick Okema said in a telephone interview on Monday that he had not yet received information about Mao eluding police arrest.
Mao’s nomination for Gulu Municipality MP seat hit a snag last year after the he was blocked by the by the Electoral Commission on grounds that he was not a registered voter.
With Mao out, the DP endorsed Mr Leander Komakech as its flag bearer in Gulu Municipality.
As election date draws closer (February 18th), politicians have intensified efforts to reach out to voters including nights around the fire place, an Acholi cultural practice in which stories are told and the young educated.
