National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has alleged the abduction of senior party officials by the military and accused electoral authorities of widespread vote rigging in the just-concluded elections.
In a series of statements posted on social media on Saturday, Bobi Wine said NUP’s Deputy President for the Western Region, Ms Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba, was abducted on the eve of polling day and taken away by military personnel. He said her whereabouts remain unknown.
“This video, recorded stealthily, shows how our party’s Deputy President for Western Region, Mama Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba, was abducted and taken away by the military,” Bobi Wine said. “They confiscated all materials she had on the eve of the election, including appointment letters for our polling agents and the funds she had to facilitate them.”
He added that the Deputy President for Northern Uganda, Dr Lina Zedriga, was also allegedly abducted by the military under similar circumstances and that her whereabouts are likewise unknown.
“To date, her whereabouts remain unknown,” Bobi Wine said, referring to Ms Tukamushaba, before adding that Dr Zedriga had also disappeared. Security authorities had not immediately commented on the allegations by the time of publication.
In a separate post, the opposition leader accused the Electoral Commission of presiding over what he described as blatant electoral fraud, citing alleged irregularities at a polling station where President Yoweri Museveni cast his vote.
“Even at the polling station where Museveni voted from, the number of people who ‘apparently voted’ from there exceeds the number of registered voters,” Bobi Wine said.
He claimed that an Electoral Commission official announced that President Museveni obtained 589 votes at the station, with five invalid votes, despite the total number of registered voters being 577.
“This points to one thing — massive ballot stuffing,” Bobi Wine alleged. “Not even half of the 577 voters could have turned up to vote, but the criminals added an excess of 17 votes.”
Bobi Wine further claimed that similar irregularities occurred across the country. “This is what happened in every district of Uganda. The apex of impunity,” he said, concluding with a call to action: “We must reclaim our country.”
The Electoral Commission and security agencies had not publicly responded to the specific claims by press time. The allegations come amid heightened political tension following the announcement of election results and as opposition groups continue to question the credibility of the electoral process.
