(Kampala) – Bobi Wine, the leader of the People Power Movement and the National Unity Platform (NUP), has accused the Ugandan government of manipulating elections and undermining opposition support through various strategies, including electoral fraud and intimidation.
In a recent social media post, Bobi Wine shared a detailed account of his party’s experience in recent by-elections, highlighting alleged instances of election manipulation and fraud. According to him, the ruling regime, led by President Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM), has consistently employed unfair tactics to suppress opposition growth and maintain power.
Bobi Wine began by reflecting on the origins of the People Power Movement, which emerged from the Kyadondo East by-election. The movement went on to support successful candidates in subsequent by-elections in Bugiri and Arua, as well as in Jinja East and Rukungiri. However, Bobi Wine claimed that the government soon began to take action to slow the momentum of the opposition. One such instance occurred in Hoima, where the movement campaigned for Hon. Asinasi Nyakato, but she was allegedly robbed of her victory in what he described as “broad daylight.”
Following the 2021 general election, Bobi Wine described the murder of the L.C.5 Chairman in Kayunga, which led to a by-election. Despite overwhelming support for the opposition candidate, Harriet Nakwedde, Bobi Wine claimed that the government declared the NRM candidate the winner after Museveni’s intervention, dismissing the will of the people. The same pattern of alleged election rigging was reportedly seen in several other by-elections, including those in Soroti East, Omoro, Busongora South, Serere, Bukedea, Oyam, and Dokolo.
Bobi Wine stressed that while the opposition may not have won every election, there is substantial evidence to suggest that these elections were neither free nor fair. In some areas where NUP candidates had significant support, Bobi Wine alleged that the regime resorted to ballot stuffing, suppressing opposition votes even in places where they could have won without interference.
He further outlined a systematic approach by the government to inflate the number of votes for NRM candidates while diminishing those for opposition candidates. This, he claimed, has been a repeated tactic in several districts, such as Wakiso, Kampala, and Butambala, where the regime allegedly manipulated the results to downplay the success of opposition candidates. Bobi Wine also mentioned the discrepancy between votes for the presidency and for parliament in some areas, highlighting the difference in support for NUP presidential candidates compared to NUP parliamentary candidates as evidence of rigging.
In Kisoro, Bobi Wine said the government’s efforts to suppress opposition continued. He criticized the Electoral Commission for limiting campaigning time to just 11 days, despite the district having 24 sub-counties, a move that he argued favored NRM candidates. On election day, he claimed that reports of low voter turnout were contradicted by the official results, which showed inflated numbers for NRM candidates. He alleged that regime officials attempted to bribe polling agents, threatening arrest if they did not comply, which led some to abandon their posts.
Despite these challenges, Bobi Wine expressed his belief that the NUP still had strong support in Kisoro, even though the opposition candidate, Sultana Salim, did not win. He credited Salim for running a strong campaign against difficult odds and praised the people of Kisoro for their warm reception. Bobi Wine also acknowledged that, despite the alleged rigging, many voters in Kisoro and Oyam united behind candidates they believed had the best chance of defeating the NRM.
Bobi Wine concluded his message by urging supporters not to be discouraged. He reaffirmed his commitment to the struggle for democracy and freedom in Uganda, despite the challenges faced by the opposition. He emphasized that the struggle would involve many obstacles, but the People Power Movement would continue to use every opportunity, including elections, to mobilize the people and spread the message of freedom.
Table: Alleged Instances of Election Manipulation and Fraud
Event
Location
Alleged Manipulation
Kyadondo East By-election
Kyadondo East
Emergence of People Power Movement
Bugiri and Arua By-elections
Bugiri, Arua
Successful opposition campaigns
Hoima By-election
Hoima
Alleged robbery of candidate’s victory
Kayunga By-election
Kayunga
Murder of L.C.5 Chairman, rigged results
Soroti East By-election
Soroti
Election rigging and manipulation
Omoro and Busongora South By-elections
Omoro, Busongora South
Arrests of polling agents, ballot stuffing
Serere, Bukedea, Oyam, Dokolo By-elections
Serere, Bukedea, Oyam, Dokolo
Alleged ballot stuffing and fraud
Kisoro By-election
Kisoro
Alleged low turn-out and inflated results
