KAMPALA – Recently, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni sparked a heated debate in the Ugandan political landscape by accusing the National Unity Platform (NUP) party of rigging the 2021 Presidential Elections. Museveni claimed to have concrete evidence that NUP cheated by 1 million votes, citing a loophole in the law that allows multiple voting when the electronic voting system malfunctions.
However, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, was quick to respond, denying the allegations and launching a scathing counterattack. In a statement, he accused Museveni of rigging not only the 2021 election but also previous ones, pointing to a pattern of electoral malfeasance.
“The Supreme Court previously fell short of nullifying those elections, but it nevertheless confirmed rigging and other forms of election theft conducted not by the opposition but by you and your agents.”
Mr. Wine accepted Museveni’s challenge to a day in court and requested that he waive his immunity in writing to meet in court. Additionally, he called for a credible, transparent, and independent audit of the 2021 electoral process, conducted by a reputable international body like the United Nations.
“We have evidence to prove the amount of rigging which you [Museveni] engaged in, as well as the other crimes you committed against us and our people,” Bobi Wine said, adding that “Should the results of this audit prove that we engaged in any form of election rigging as you claim, we should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
He alleges crimes committed by President Museveni before, during, and after the election, including:
- Election rigging and other forms of election theft
- Brutal military operations against opposition supporters
- Arrests and detention of opposition leaders and activists
- Disruption of opposition rallies and campaigns
The NUP president emphasized that if the audit proved Museveni robbed them of their victory, he must step down and allow the people of Uganda to be led by a government of their choosing.
“The National Unity Platform remains committed to its pursuit of democracy, good governance, and the rule of law. We will not be intimidated by false allegations and will continue to fight for the rights of the Ugandan people.”
The battle between Museveni and Kyagulanyi has set the stage for a dramatic showdown, with the fate of Uganda’s democracy hanging in the balance. As tensions rise, Ugandans and international observers await the outcome of this contentious dispute.
