Ugandan opposition leader and presidential aspirant Bobi Wine has raised serious allegations of widespread electoral irregularities, including the abduction of polling officials and systematic failures of voting machines across the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 15, which was election day, Wine described a chaotic situation, claiming that internet services had been completely shut down while reports of large-scale ballot stuffing were emerging from multiple locations nationwide.
He further alleged that several key opposition leaders had been arrested and that many polling agents and supervisors had been abducted or forcibly removed from polling stations.
Polling Agent Abduction Claims, Equipment Problems Plague Uganda Vote. Photo: Courtesy.
Wine also claimed that incidents of violence and intimidation were reported at various voting centres across the country.
Bobi Wine said widespread failures of BVVK machines disrupted voting across multiple polling centres, potentially disenfranchising voters.
He also urged Ugandans to resist what he termed an illegitimate government and called on the international community to take note.
In a separate statement, Wine encouraged citizens to bypass internet restrictions to share information, accusing authorities of shutting down access to conceal alleged electoral fraud and abuses.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) said it temporarily disabled public internet access and certain mobile services during the voting period on the advice of the Inter-Agency Security Committee.
The regulator explained that the move was intended to curb the spread of misinformation, prevent electoral manipulation, and reduce the risk of violence that could threaten public safety and national security.
UCC added that the blackout was not total, noting that essential and emergency services were exempted to ensure critical national systems continued operating normally.
