By Mulengera Reporters
Older Persons MP Ofwono Opondo has downplayed claims that Afande Peter Elwelu was crafting some mischief aimed at disrupting the Government of Uganda.
Speaking on Capital Gang on Saturday, Opondo said for a long time state operatives under President Museveni have always engaged in what he called “sexing up intelligence” information in order to demonize targeted actors and subsequently justify the clamping down hard on them.
Opondo added that Afande Elwelu, against whom the CDF Gen MK declared war earlier in the week while proclaiming his demotion from the rank of General to Private, is a victim of one such operation.
Opondo explained that there is nothing unusual about guns being found at Elwelu’s home because every retiring General is entitled to retaining a platoon of 15-40 soldiers and some guns too.
Opondo clarified that recovering such guns and soldiers at his home doesn’t amount to evidence of Elwelu being involved in treasonous activities. Opondo said in case Elwelu was found to have been in possession of more than the permitted number of guns and armunition, that should be thoroughly investigated and objectively communicated to Ugandans as the army leadership prepares to arraign him in the court martial.
Opondo also faulted the CDF Gen MK for accepting to be controlled by the personal anger and vendetta he claimed he has always had against Afande Elwelu. He added that whatever wrong Elwelu had committed would better be managed privately rather than destroying him on social media the way Gen MK did. He wondered why Elwelu’s purported demotion had to be communicated on X as opposed to the same being handled privately.
Opondo said the latest escalation by MK is nothing but a resumption of the “old friction” between the CDF and Gen Elwelu. Opondo said that the old feuding between the two is well known to majority Ugandans and that this what is informing the latest hostilities against Elwelu.
He also castigated former Minister Musa Ecweru who he said was opportunistically amplifying MK’s anger in the hope that Afande Elwelu’s destruction in Teso will create new political relevancy for him while uplifting him from the political oblivion he fell into following his defeat for the Amuria MP Seat, which he had held onto for such a long time.
Opondo (aged 66) also claimed that Ecweru had blocked all his phone calls after establishing that he was calling to criticize him over his Soroti news conference during which he (Ecweru) castigated Elwelu who continues to receive a lot of Tik Tok support from Teso youths who live and work in Middle Eastern countries.
The same Tik tokers have been very outspoken against Ecweru who they are busy demonizing as a traitor along with other diehard PLU/MK supporters in Teso sub region such as Hellen Adoa, Peter Ogwang and Honorable Aballa. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
