President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has accused Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and his National Unity Platform of rigging and trying to cause intimidation in the just-concluded 2021 elections.
Museveni, who stood on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party seeking for his 6th term in office won elections with 58% of the vote while his closes rival and challenger Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine of National Unity Platform (NUP) managed to poll only 35% of the votes.
While addressing the country on Sunday Evening at State House Nakasero, Museveni noted that Bobi Wine and his group were involved in ballot stuffing and intimidation of the ruling NRM party supporters.
“I couldn’t comment because there was a case in court which had been taken there by Hon. Kyagulanyi saying that NRM had cheated them. On the contrary, it was Kyagulanyi’s group that cheated massively. There was massive ballot stuffing here in Kampala and in other parts of the country where we (NRM) had weak organization,”Museveni said on Sunday evening.
Museveni told the country that he has reports of intimidation by National Unity Platform supporters towards those supporting the ruling party, citing areas of Buganda and Busoga where he said everything was documented.
He cited areas in Wakiso, Mpigi, Kyotera and Kampala where he said his supporters were intimidated against voting for the NRM and its candidates.
“There was burning of houses, cars and cutting down of plantations in some areas. All this is documented. However, despite the massive cheating, NRM won, because it is a massive party. It is just like an elephant. All those who were intimidating just injured the ear of the elephant but it is still standing and in charge,” he said.
He termed his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party as an “elephant,” adding that those who were “cheating; intimidating, attacking, just injured the ear of the elephant. The elephant is still standing and in charge.”
Museveni urged “others who were involved in these criminalities to admit their mistakes, cooperate with security forces, apologize to ones who were attacked so that we go back to normal life. But this should never happen again.”
Museveni however noted that some police officers were either bribed or never cared as these acts of violence happened but warned that whoever will be implicated will face dismissal from the force.
The president also noted that the people arrested over violence in the 2021 election can only be released if they ask for pardon with a promise never to get involved in the same.
Museveni’s government has come under intense criticism over the mass arrests, detention without trial and torture of suspected opposition supporters.
Activists say security forces should have taken the suspected criminals to courts of law for trial.
If Museveni’s words are to go by, the areas where he says the National Unity Platform rigged the 2021 election are the same areas where over 20 of his ministers lost, especially in Buganda region and many of them have conceded defeat.
However, National Unity Platform leader, Robert Kyagulanyi has laughed off Museveni’s claims accusing him of feeding the public on lies.
“Give it to him- his ability to lie with a straight face still baffles me. Knowing how much he rigged the election, the election thief comes out to accuse those from whom he stole (and placed under house arrest) of election theft,” Kyagulanyi responded in a tweet to the claims of vote-rigging by President Museveni.
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