Opposition leader of National Unity Platform (NUP) party Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has asked the European Union (EU) to cause an audit of the January 14 presidential elections which he says he won, but was robbed of his victory by President Museveni.
Mr Kyagulanyi put his request to the EU officials who met him at his home at Magere, Kasangati in Wakiso District, yesterday.
A source, who attended the two-hour meeting but preferred anonymity, said Mr Kyagulanyi also asked the EU that government be held accountable for the violence against civilians during the election campaigns.
“EU called for the meeting last week and their intention was to find out how they can help Bobi. Bobi Wine asked the EU to help and hold [Mr] Museveni accountable for the different human rights violations and killings. He also asked EU to push for an audit into the just-concluded elections,” the source said.
The source added: “During the meeting Bobi Wine also wanted EU to have government officers accountable for the atrocities of November and other brutality meted out to him and other Opposition politicians.”
The EU Head of Delegation in Uganda, Mr Attilio Pacifici, led eight other diplomats, including representatives from other EU countries such as Belgium, Germany, Austria, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy and Sweden.
The Bobi Wine team included the party’s deputy president for the North, Ms Lina Zedriga, deputy president for Central region Mathias Mpuuga, party Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya and party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, among others.
The source further said the EU team proposed to Kyagulanyi to have talks with President Museveni but the Opposition leader rejected the proposal.
“EU asked Bobi to allow a dialogue with Museveni, but he refused, citing the double standards of his opponent,” the source told Daily Monitor.
“The EU then promised to continue following up the issues Bobi raised and would return with a position,” the source added.
Daily Monitor could not readily establish whether there was any written commitment between Bobi and EU but the source said: “The EU responded by saying they are taking these matters seriously and looking at taking serious action.”
Shortly after the meeting, Mr Paciffici tweeted : “Together with EU colleagues I met with @NUP_Ug leaders today to exchange views and hear their concerns following the elections. We value and encourage dialogue with and between all political actors. I look forward to meetings also with other political parties in the near future.”
In his address to the media after the meeting, Mr Ssenyonyi said: “As friends to the people of Uganda, don’t pay a blind eye to these violations happening to Ugandans. We have not and we are not asking them to even support any political party. What we have asked them is to be on the side of the people of Uganda because Ugandans are the ones being killed, arrested and facing all these violations. So that was our general request to them.”
It is not clear why Mr Kyagulanyi asked the EU to cause audit of the election yet he has filed a petition in court challenging the same election results. The NUP leaders did not explain how the EU-sanctioned audit would run parallel to the petition in court.
Hours after elections on January 14, the musician-turned-politician was placed under house-arrest for more than 10 days. Many of his party leaders were denied access to his home including the American Ambassador to Uganda, Ms Natalie Brown.
Bobi Wine regained freedom after court on January 25 ordered the security to leave his home.
Election results
On January 16, the Electoral Commission declared incumbent President Museveni winner of the elections with 58 per cent against Kyagulanyi’s 35 per cent.
Mr Kyagulanyi has rejected the EC results, claiming he won the election. He has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Mr Museveni’s victory.
In the aftermath of the 2016 General Election, four-time presidential candidate of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Dr Kizza Besigye, declined to go to court and instead demanded that an international body audits Uganda’s elections. The audit did not happen.
Government response
The State minister for Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance, Mr Peter Ogwang, said the audit would not change anything since the elections were transparent.
“So I don’t understand what he is asking about but in my opinion, we did vote using biometrics. I don’t have any problem with that thinking because at the end of the day, whatever was done, was done in a transparent manner,” Mr Ogwang told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview.
He added: “I want to ask him to accept defeat and he is in court, so let’s wait for the court outcome.”
Mr Ogwang said Mr Kyagulanyi should look at the Declaration of Results (DR) forms collected by his agents deployed at various polling stations across the country on polling day.
“…So before he asks for an audit, he should first find out whether his political party had such structures in the 34,000 polling stations in the whole country,” he said.