Kampala — AS nomination fever gripped the country, supporters of nine of the 18 candidates who were booked for nomination yesterday converged at points scheduled for public rallies.

At Nakivubo Stadium, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supporters boldly marked out their territory.

Supporters sporting FDC T-shits with an imprint of their leader Col. Dr Kizza Besigye's portrait brought business around to a standstill.

Chanted slogans

They chanted slogans and flashed the V sign as party officials arrived at Nakivubo at 2;30 pm, an hour after Besigye had been pronounced a duly nominated presidential candidate.

The stadium's perimeter wall was decorated with banana stems, Besigye's campaign posters, and banners reading 'President 2006- 2011', 'Vote Besigye for a change', and 'Tired of Dictatorship'.

Elsewhere, the Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda Peoples' Congress (UPC) supporters were the most disappointed.

UPC supporters, who had converged at Kyadondo Rugby Ground, were thrown in disarray on learning that their presidential candidate, Mama Miria Obote, had not been nominated. "Due to a few technical problems, we have not been able to get our candidate nominated, but we hope to do so tomorrow (today) therefore we ask all of you to come back tomorrow same time (4:45 pm)," the UPC National Youth leader, Mr Benson Ogwang, told about 100 crestfallen supporters sporting UPC's traditional colours. They started walking away dejectedly.

The dinner scheduled for the launch of Miria's manifesto at Hotel Equatoria was also cancelled.

Plea to scribes

Kampala District UPC Chairman Bruhani Sekibenga pleaded with journalists not to give the party negative publicity.

Sekibenga said: "I am asking journalists not to talk to whoever you see here because they will give you wrong information."

At the Constitutional Square, DP's supporters started arriving at 3:00pm, the exact time their candidate showed up for nomination at Namboole.

The turn out was low however and police were heavily deployed at the venue.

Green and white gowns were very conspicuous as smiling supporters hugged and mixed.

However, the news that their presidential candidate, Mr John Ssebaana Kizito had not been nominated shocked them.

Silence descended on the supporters, who had been chanting party songs as they waited for their leader to address them after nomination.

Ssebaana arrived at the Constitution Square where he was scheduled to hold a big rally at 5:30 but looked crest fallen.

He was speechless although he flashed an occasional smile.

"Museveni is now trying to fail our only hopeful candidate. But we shall carry on with the fight because he taught us Muchaka-muchaka (paramilitary training)," said Mr Church Ambrose, a DP supporter, who was at the podium.

Ssebaana however, urged his supporters to remain calm saying he still had hope to be nominated. He said he will raise the required signatures and be in time for today's nomination.

However, overall, the situation was calm in town during the day.