Opposition leaders Mugisha Muntu and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, have indicated they will not immediately challenge President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election in court following last week’s general elections.
Museveni was declared the winner of the January 15 poll with 71.65 percent of the vote, according to the Electoral Commission, securing a seventh term in office. Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) came second with 24.72 percent, while Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) garnered 0.53 percent.
Speaking to the BBC, Bobi Wine said he would not file a court petition, citing a lack of confidence in the independence of the judiciary. “I will not contest the results in court,” he said. “The judiciary is not independent, and we have no confidence in it to deliver justice.”
The NUP leader again described the election as fraudulent, alleging ballot stuffing, intimidation by security forces and the arrest of opposition agents, but said his focus would shift away from litigation. “Justice will not come through the courts,” he said, calling instead for peaceful civic action.
Muntu has also ruled out a legal challenge, saying the struggle for political change goes beyond election petitions. “Despite the results, the fight for national transformation continues,” he said in post-election remarks, while warning about what he described as the growing and “frightening” influence of money in Ugandan politics.
He added that he was prepared to support broader opposition efforts challenging the status quo, rather than pursue a personal court case.
While a lesser-known candidate, Robert Kasibante, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Museveni’s victory, the decision by the two leading opposition figures to stay away from the courts has renewed debate about the effectiveness of Uganda’s electoral justice system and the future of opposition strategy.
The post-election period has been marked by heightened security, reports of arrests and restrictions, and renewed calls from opposition leaders for peaceful resistance as Uganda enters another Museveni term.
