The National Unity Party (NUP) has rejected the outcome of the 2026 presidential election and demanded that the Electoral Commission immediately release the declaration forms used to confirm President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the winner.
The opposition party has also announced plans to challenge what it describes as stolen victories in parliamentary and local government races through the courts.
Addressing the media for the first time since the conclusion of the presidential and parliamentary elections, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said the party does not recognise the results announced by the Electoral Commission, accusing the commission of withholding critical election documents.
“We do not recognise the presidential election results as declared,” Rubongoya said. “The Electoral Commission must come out and release the declaration forms that were used to announce Mr Museveni as the winner.”
Rubongoya also conveyed greetings from NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who has remained out of the public eye since the elections, assuring supporters that he is safe and will address the nation soon.
“Our president is alive and well, and he will appear before the public at a time of his choosing,” Rubongoya said.
The NUP Secretary General further said the party’s candidates who were allegedly denied victory in parliamentary and local government races, including himself, would seek legal redress.
“We are heading to court over the theft of our parliamentary and local government seats,” he said. “The will of the people was ignored in many constituencies.”
Leader of the Opposition and NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said the party’s concerns extend beyond election results, citing continued arrests and abductions of party members.
“There must be an end to the abductions and arrests of our supporters,” Ssenyonyi said.
“More than 3,000 NUP members were arrested during the election period, and many political prisoners have remained behind bars for years.”
Ssenyonyi also urged religious leaders to remain vocal against injustice, saying their role is critical at a time when many Ugandans feel powerless.
“We urge our religious leaders not to grow weary,” he said. “Their voices are critical at a time when many Ugandans feel helpless.”
Some NUP supporters who were arrested during the election period and later released told journalists that they saw several missing opposition members and party leaders while in detention.
They named Sam Mugumya, Dr Lina Zedriga, Jolly Tukamushaba, and Johnmary Ssebuufu as among those they encountered.
The Electoral Commission has previously maintained that declaration forms and other election-related documents can only be released following a court order.
NUP insists that without full disclosure and transparency, the credibility of the 2026 presidential and parliamentary elections remains in question.
