The Forum for Democratic Change has today officially declared that the presidential elections were rigged in favour of the president-elect, Yoweri Museveni.
Addressing the media today at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi party president Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu said the Independent Electoral Commission had tinkered with the results of the February 18 elections, to the disadvantage of its candidate Col (rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye.
“There is a glaring contradiction between the results of Electoral Commission and the results we have,” Gen Muntu told the press, adding: “This time they forgot to put on their gloves. They left finger prints all over.”
Gen Muntu also demanded that an independent audit of the presidential election results be carried out.
Speaking on a number of electoral matters, the FDC president, who was flanked by party Chairman Wasswa Birigwa Ssekyondwa and Ms Alice Alaso Ebaju, also said the party had failed to petition the Supreme Court for alleged electoral malpractices because its flag bearer Col (rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye is under round-the-clock police restriction.
“We were unable to file a petition in the set 10 days because Kizza Besigye has been arrested 9 times in the last 11 days,” Gen Muntu said, before demanding for the immediate removal of police and army officers from Dr Besigye’s home and at the FDC headquarters.
“It is a legitimate right of every Ugandan to engage in civil action. It is our constitutional duty to defend our rights,” he and added: “We can only feel secure when we are protected by the law.”
The FDC boss also said his party would engage religious leaders, civil society, the diplomatic community and the population, to arrive at an amicable and peaceful solution.
Gen Muntu’s assertions come in the wake of a criticized election which some observers from the European Union and Commonwealth have castigated as not meeting the international electoral standards.
Following the elections, the IEC declared the National Resistance Movement candidate Yoweri Museveni winner with 61% of the vote against Dr Besigye’s 35%, figures which were contested and led another candidate, John Patrick Amama Mbabazi of the Go Forward group to file a petition in the Supreme Court yesterday, challenging the results. ‘One electoral petition for any Presidential candidate is sufficient to challenge the 2016 election and Mr Amama Mbabazi MP has successfully petitioned the Supreme Court today’ the FDC wrote on its Facebook page yesterday.
