Uganda’s main opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine says his life is being threatened following Thursday’s election which saw Yoweri Museveni win a sixth elected term.
The singer-turned-politician told the BBC that he rejected the results “with the contempt they deserve”.
He alleged there had been a lot of irregularities but Mr Museveni called it Uganda’s fairest ever vote.
Campaigning had been marred by violence in which dozens of people died.
Just ahead of voting day the government shut down the internet, a move condemned by election monitors.
They said confidence in the count had been damaged by the days-long cut. A government minister told the BBC on Saturday evening that the internet service would be restored “very soon”.
What did Bobi Wine say?
In a phone interview with the BBC World Service, Bobi Wine, the stage name for 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi, said he was “worried about my life and the life of my wife”.
He said he was not being allowed to leave his house which was surrounded by security forces.
“Nobody is allowed to leave or come into our house. Also, all journalists – local and international – have been blocked from accessing me here at home,” he said.
Addressing what his party, National Unity Platform, might do now, he told the BBC that “all options are now on the table including but not limited to peaceful protest” but he stressed that he was not calling for violent insurrection.
The opposition candidate earlier said: “I will be happy to share the videos of all the fraud and irregularities as soon as the internet is restored.”
What did President Museveni say?
The result gives President Museveni, 76 and in power since 1986, five more years as president.
Speaking after being declared the winner, he rejected claims of fraud describing the election as likely to be “the most cheating-free election” in the country’s history.
Mr Museveni also alleged that another country in the region had sent “agents to come meddle in our politics”.
“Foreign meddling will not be tolerated, we do not want foreigners interfering in our affairs. If foreign interference were a source of wealth then Africa would be the richest country in the world.”
The president’s supporters came out on to the streets of the capital, Kampala, on Saturday to celebrate his victory.
What have monitors said?
Issuing the final result on Saturday, the Electoral Commission said the vote had been peaceful, with a turnout of 57% of the almost 18 million registered voters.
But the EU, United Nations and several rights groups have raised concerns. Aside from an African Union mission, no major international group monitored the vote.
The AU has not yet commented.
Earlier this week the US – a major aid donor to Uganda – cancelled its diplomatic observer mission to the country, saying that the majority of its staff had been denied permission to monitor polling sites.
The US state department said the vote occurred in “an environment of intimidation of fear”.
In a statement Africa Elections Watch, a coalition of civil society groups, which said it had 3,000 election observers in Uganda, said that the vote did not “meet the threshold of a democratic, free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process”.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
