BOBI WINE
Before setting off for Kayunga district today, we have addressed the nation on a span of grievances that we have endured in our campaign trail ever since we touched base in Buganda region. The escalating police orchestrated brutality has become a huge concern to us. On Monday, we saw the police firing teargas canisters inside our peaceful rallies with no legal justification. Their double standards are evidently disgusting. They claim to be stopping our processions yet on the side of the NRM candidates, nothing as such happens. We call out on the EC chairperson Mr. Simon Byabakama to rein in if he is really in charge of the election. He has been conspicuously silent on all the prevailing illegalities and rights violations in the electoral process. The speedy response he has shown while criticizing our protest vote should apply equally while commenting about these prevailing issues. We are shocked that Mr. Byabakama, a legal expert has come out to discourage citizens from protecting their votes and yet he is not quoting any legal provision within which he is making this illegal declaration. We as NUP, are calling for Active Citizens’ Participation (ACP) in this election because they have all rights to be engaged as voters. Under the Presidential Elections Act section 31 clause 4, citizens have a right to observe the election within 30 meters away from the tally table. This is what we have been encouraging. If Mr. Byabakama is not ready to conduct a transparent, free and fair election then we ask him to peacefully resign from the position of chairperson of the Electoral Commission. Finally, we have reliable information that Gen. Museveni and his regime are planning to rig the election. They want to achieve this by provoking the masses into an unrest and they yet again carry out a preemptive massacre prior to the actual voting akin to what they did in November 2020 (18th and 19th). We want to bring this to the attention of the international community, regional community and the African Union. We are also aware that the regime is also planning a curfew prior to the election in order to proceed with their vote rigging plans. That said, we are continuously going to remain law abiding in our pursuit for the votes and we shall reach out to all parts of the country as per our schedule. #ANewUgandaNow #ProtestVote2026 #PeoplePowerOurPower