Reasons why Museveni and security chiefs met soon after Bobi Wine dumped election petition case
President Yoweri Museveni, chief of armed forces summoned all top commanders of the security organisations at State House on Tuesday.
Museveni summon comes a few days after his rival in the recent 14th January Presidential elections, Bobi Wine decided to call off the petition he had filed at the Supreme Court.
Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine had petitioned the Supreme Court questioning Museveni win confirmed by the Electoral Commission chief Simon Byabakama.
The results confirmed President Museveni as the winner with over 58% of the total votes cast.
Petition withdrawal
The National Unity Platform NUP President in a news conference at his home in Magere sidestepped his earlier call to drag President Museveni and the electoral commission to court by withdrawing the case.
Bobi Wine announced: “Today, we announced our decision to withdraw the election petition from the Supreme Court. The Court has manifested unprecedented bias, partiality and double standards. Declining our request to file evidence was the last stroke. We are taking the case to the Court of the People.”
Hardly had the NUP leader withdrawn his case when the President called all security chiefs to State House.
Museveni confirmed the meeting in a tweet on Wednesday morning: “Met with security chiefs yesterday at State House Entebbe. Our discussions focused on the general security situation in the country.”
Court of People
Museveni security meeting comes at the height of echoes from Bobi Wine and other opposition leaders on shift from the courts to people deciding the fate of what they termed a ‘total fraud’ election.
Bobi has echoed that in the aftermath of his petition withdrawal.
He said: “Here is the kind of evidence the Supreme Court refused to take in and we decided to bring the matter to the PEOPLE. Here, in trying to dispel accusations of rigging, they released this DR form whose results don’t add up to the total indicated. A total fraud.”
In responding to a statement by Spokesman for US Department of State, Bobi Wine re-echoed: “We continue to thank the world for not keeping quiet about the most rigged election in our nation’s history, accompanied by gross human rights abuses. The people of Uganda will continue using all lawful actions to pursue good governance.”
Plan B
Dr. Kizza Besigye, four time Presidential candidate who chose to shun the 2021 election has continued to aim attacks at courts of law, the security forces and call for people power after rejecting a call to petition the 2016 election.
In his recent appearances on top television stations in the country, he has continued to disown the electoral commission and the courts. Dr. Besigye openly said he has resorted to Plan B.
The opposition leader welcomed Kyagulanyi’s reservations on Chief Justice Owinyi Dollo in handling his petition in a recent tweet he shared on his personal handle.
He tweeted: “This was a strong case for Chief Justice Owiny Dollo to stop hearing a (sensitive) case against his former client (being a personal lawyer in similar case) and boss.”
Attacks on security
Dr. Besigye and other opposition leaders have also continued to name and shame security and officers in the police and the army in utterances and postings on broadcast media and social media.
On a recent story of alleged police shootings in Bukedea, the former Forum for Democratic Change FDC Presidential candidate, blasted: “Terrible! Uganda’s armed forces (“Security Organisations”) have been a much greater threat to people’s lives than COVID-19, they claim to prevent!”
Similarly, Bobi Wine in a recent tweet on his personal account exposed a top security office for his alleged role in brutalization of journalists and his supporters at the UN offices in Kampala.
The NUP leader named and exposed: “Lt Col Namanya Napoleone Kyabihende, Director Operations Military Police (previously SFC) commanded the brutalisation of journalists and leaders at UN Office yesterday. He was named in the shooting at Kasubi tombs on 16th March 2010 which saw several people dead and injured! “
Bobi explained: “He commanded the militarily raid on my campaign team in Kalangala Island on 30th December 2020, an ambush which saw over 100 of our comrades arrested and tortured. Most of them are still languishing in Kitarya prison. Yesterday, he personally beat up NTV journalist Cliff Wamala.”
He added: “Today, when the military paraded soldiers that they claim to have beaten journalists, I did not see Namanya. This should teach everyone that in Uganda today, some people commit crimes while others pay for the crimes.”
Foreign powers
Despite calls by the President in his recent news conferences asking foreign powers to stay away from Uganda’s affairs, some have remained vocal since the elections concluded in January.
Museveni has stated: “It is important that external players refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. If there’s any problem in Uganda, I surely will handle it better than the outsider.”
The US and EU have been particularly targeted security and call for them to be held accountable in some incidences that have led to injuries and deaths to members of the public.
US Ambassador to Uganda posted on Twitter: “Journalists should not be attacked for doing their job. Whenever assaulted, swift, public, transparent investigations must follow to ensure justice is served and to restore public trust. Those who violate press freedom must be held to account.”
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Award winning journalist and writer who has worked as a stringer for a couple of acclaimed South Africa based German journalists, covered 3 Ugandan elections, 2008 Kenya election crisis, with interests in business and sports reporting.
