Africa News of Saturday, 16 January 2021

Source: monitor.co.ug

Uganda polls: Museveni inches closer to victory, Bobi Wine disputes results

Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni

Vote counting entered day two, Saturday, with provisional results from the January 14 polls indicating the race to presidency was narrowing down to a two-horse race between ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, with over 69 per cent of the vote in at the National tally centre at Kyambogo, Kampala.

Mr Museveni, 76, leads with 4,340,134 million votes (61.98 per cent) while opposition front-runner and NUP presidential candidate, Bobi Wine has gained but is still trailing at 2,164,347 votes (30.91 per cent), according to the Electoral Commission’s (EC) sixth batch of provisional results.

However, Bobi Wine rejected the results calling them "fake". He claimed that the Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, had disdainfully ignored malpractices that occurred during elections.

“The army and police in some places gave people pre-ticked ballot papers in addition to intimidating voters by their presence and influencing the electorate to vote in favour of incumbent president Museveni,” Bobi Wine said.

“We have gathered supporting evidence and it will be availed to the public once internet is restored across the country,” he added.

National army deputy spokesperson Deo Akiiki dismissed the claims calling them ‘malicious’.

“Those claims are aimed at tarnishing the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF),” he said.

2021 Presidential election provisional results from 24,058/34,684 polling stations received so far (69.36%)

Presidential Candidate

Candidate’s Party

Cumulative vote tally

Percentage (%)

Amuriat Oboi Patrick

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)

254,628

3.64

Kabuleta Kiiza Joseph

Independent

34,955

0.50

Kalembe Nancy Linda

Independent

28,492

0.41

Katumba John

Independent

23,965

0.34

Kyagulanyi S Robert aka Bobi Wine

National Unity Platform (NUP)

2,164,347

30.91

Nobert Mao

Democratic Party (DP)

45,590

0.65

Mayambala Willy

Independent

11,218

0.16

Mugisha Muntu G

Alliance for National Transformation (ANT)

41,867

0.60

Mwesigye Fred

Independent

19,452

0.28

Tumukunde Henry K

Independent

37,705

0.54

Museveni T Kaguta

National Resistance Movement (NRM)

4,340,134

61.98

Valid votes in

7,200,353

Invalid Votes

278,324

3.82 of votes cast

Spoilt votes

20,019

Number of votes

7,280,677

40.22 of registered voters

Total Number of registered voters

18,103,603

*Accurate as per January 16, 2021 (12:25am Local EAT)

Bobi Wine, who results so far show has garnered some grass-root support since arriving on the political scene, told his backers that he was hell-bent towards pushing for an end to Mr Museveni’s 35 years at the helm of Uganda’s top leadership spot.