Former National Unity Platform Presidential (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine has been arrested.
The MP has been nabbed at city square as he led NUP MPs and other leaders in a peaceful protest. Last week, he announced country wide protests after he declared that he won the just concluded election with 54.19 percent.
The singer revealed a few days after withdrawing the presidential election petition in which he challenged President Yoweri Museveni’s victory on grounds that the election was not free and fair.
Parading box files containing 2584 declaration of result forms of the 34684, the singer said he won the election despite the intimidations, arrests and torture of his supporters.
“From the DR forms in our possession, it is clear that we won the election with 54.19% of the total valid votes cast. We won the January 14, 2021 election. The Special Forces Command (SFC) soldiers wearing Electoral Commission t-shirts and caps stood side by side with Byabakama as he read Election results. We even saw him stammering in fear as he read out the winner,” he said.
“I call upon all people to rise up and demonstrate against what he dubbed as stolen victory and the continuous kidnappings of Ugandans by the security operatives. We demand for unconditional release of his supporters and Party members who were arrested and detained before.” he said
On Thursday 14th January, 2021, the Electoral Commission conducted presidential elections where Ugandans exercised their constitutional rights of choosing a president who will lead them through a five year term. Uganda has a total 18,103,603 registered voters and 34,684 polling stations however only 10,350,819 people turned up to vote.
The presidential election which comprised 11 candidates was won by President Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa Kaguta who got 6,042,898 (58.38%). His closest opponent Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu got 3,631,437 votes (35.08%).
On 1st February 2021, Bobi Wine petitioned the Supreme Court challenging President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in January general elections saying that the election was not free and fair.
He contended that throughout the campaign period the People of Uganda generally, and more particularly his supporters endured untold suffering, torture, degrading and inhuman treatment on the orders of Gen Museveni. He cited the dark days of 18th and 19th November 2020 which saw over 50 innocent, unarmed citizens murdered in cold blood by the police and military.
Last month the Supreme Court declined to receive over 200 pieces of evidence from his lawyers who were led by Anthony Wameli. The court registrar Harriet Ssali Lukwago said the Supreme Court could not receive the affidavits because they were filed beyond stipulated time as agreed during the pre-hearing session held last month.
“Among the rejected evidence included the affidavits of the NUP secretary general Lewis Lubongoya, videos of pre-ticket ballots, and evidence of various polling stations where the incumbent got 100 percent. At Lwaweba polling station where they claim that Museveni got 100 percent seven of my relatives who votes from that station didn’t vote, two pregnant women were in the labour ward and two were arrested,” Bobi recounted
In February Supreme Court chaired by the chief Justice Alfonso Owiny-Dollo dismissed the MPs petition where he sought to adduce more grounds to support his 26 claims of election fraud, for which he wants president-elect Yoweri Kaguta Museveni annulled.
In the fresh grounds, Bobi contended that Mr Museveni was not qualified as Candidate and could not lawfully Contest in the Presidential Elections being a person in command of military and police contrary to Presidential Elections amendment Act and the Constitutional Amendment
In tandem, the Bobi Wine asked Justice Owiny Dollo, Mike Chibita to back off from hearing the matter because of a clear conflict of interest. He said Chief Justice represented Museveni as his lawyer in the presidential petition filed by Dr. Besigye in 2001 and the former DPP Chibita is Museveni’s former private secretary for seven years. However, justice Dollo declined to recuse himself from the bench.
