UPC doubts EC after Museveni's rigging claims
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has dismissed recent allegations by President Yoweri Museveni that the National Unity Platform (NUP) rigged one million votes in the 2021 presidential elections.
Speaking at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters on Kampala Road, UPC spokesperson Sharon Arach called on the president to provide evidence if such claims hold weight.
"If there is evidence, it should be presented to the relevant authorities and allow the law to take its course," Arach stated, underscoring that opposition parties, including NUP, do not have the capacity to manipulate elections on such a large scale.
Arach further criticised the National Resistance Movement (NRM)-led government for the persistent challenges associated with elections it organizes. “All elections organised by the NRM have had issues,” she said, referencing the widespread allegations of vote-rigging and irregularities in past elections, including the controversial 2021 presidential race.
UPC also noted the paradox in President Museveni's recent remarks. Despite his own Electoral Commission (EC) declaring the 2021 elections free and fair, Museveni’s new statements seem to question the integrity of the process.
Arach suggested that this reveals a deeper problem: "It indicates that the president has lost trust in the Electoral Commission, aligning with the opposition’s long-standing grievances about the EC's capacity to organize a credible election."
UPC believes that President Museveni’s statements have far-reaching implications calling for the formation of a special committee to investigate all elections held since 1996, a period marked by recurring accusations of electoral fraud.
Such an inquiry, she argued, would help to address growing concerns about the integrity of Uganda’s electoral system.
"Besides, the president-elected EC stated that the elections were free and fair, only for the president to state otherwise. This could indicate deeper issues within the electoral process," she added.
