The Deputy President of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and Buikwe South Member of Parliament, Lulume Bayiga, has said the opposition in Uganda remains strong and continues to expand despite the ruling party’s overwhelming electoral dominance.
Speaking during NBS Morning Breeze on Tuesday, Bayiga said the PFF is developing its own political strategy and will soon present its position on the country’s political direction.
“As PFF, we are inventing a new template. We shall have a two days retreat and we shall give our take,” he said.
Bayiga dismissed suggestions that opposition forces are weakening, arguing that dissent and alternative political thinking are steadily growing across the political spectrum, including within the ruling party itself.
“Nobody should deceive themselves that the Opposition is dying. The Opposition is growing day by day even within the NRM,” he said.
Bayiga added that the PFF intends to build public trust gradually rather than aggressively pushing itself onto the electorate.
“As PFF, we are not overzealous in trying to impose ourselves on the population. We know that the people will trust us,” he noted.
According to official results released by the Electoral Commission (EC) following the January 15, 2026 presidential elections, incumbent President Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) secured 7,946,772 votes, representing 71.65 percent of the total valid votes cast.
The victory extends Museveni’s leadership to a seventh term in office and marks the first time in nearly three decades that he has surpassed the 70 percent threshold—last achieved in 1996, when he won with 74.3 percent.
His closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine and contesting under the National Unity Platform ticket, garnered 2,741,238 votes, accounting for 24.72 percent of the vote.
Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change finished third with 209,039 votes, equivalent to 1.88 percent, while all other candidates received less than one percent of the vote.
The 12th Parliament is set to feature a strong majority for the ruling National Resistance Movement, which secured 370 legislators.
Other members will include 60 independents, 49 from the National Unity Platform, 12 from the Uganda People’s Congress, 10 from the Forum for Democratic Change, six from the Democratic Party, two from the People’s Front for Freedom, and one from the Alliance for National Transformation.
According to President Museveni, as of May 6, 2025, approximately 18.5 million voters are registered as members or supporters of the National Resistance Movement out of the country’s 21 million registered voters. He argued that if all NRM supporters turned up to vote, the party would secure about 18.5 million votes while the opposition would remain with roughly 2.5 million votes, translating to about 88 percent support for the ruling party.
Since the January 15 election, Kyagulanyi has openly rejected the results, labeling them “fake” and accusing the Electoral Commission of manipulating the process. He has also alleged that the Commission announced results without providing the mandatory Declaration of Results forms, although no substantial evidence has been offered to support these claims.
On January 16, 2026, Kyagulanyi reportedly left his Magere residence and went into hiding after his home was allegedly raided by military personnel. Since then, he has continued communicating with supporters through social media, maintaining that state security agencies are targeting him—an allegation the government has consistently denied.
Despite the controversy surrounding the election, Kyagulanyi has stated that he will not challenge the results in court, citing a lack of faith in the judiciary. Instead, he has called on his supporters to engage in peaceful protests, describing them as a show of solidarity against what he terms a stolen election.
Government officials have repeatedly dismissed claims of political persecution. The Minister for Information and Communications Technology and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, said the state has no intention of arresting or harming the opposition leader.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also urged Kyagulanyi to stop what she described as “comedy” and return home to his family.
Responding to statements attributed to the Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, which appeared to suggest a pursuit of Kyagulanyi, Baryomunsi clarified that the government’s position remains unchanged.
According to the minister, security deployments around Kyagulanyi’s Magere residence are intended to prevent the home from becoming a hub for public disorder, not to threaten or detain him.