Rahidah Naakayi
NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi wine has asked Ugandans to defy the EC guidelines on election day by staying at their respective polling stations after casting their ballot to guard their vote.
Addressing the media at his Magere residence on Friday morning, Kyagulanyi said he doesn’t agree with the EC boss Justice Simon Byabakama to block Ugandans from watching their votes because it is not criminal.
”Mr.Byabakama, the chairman of the EC is telling people to cast their ballots and go away, there is no law that you will be breaking when you stay and guard your vote, this is one historical day that we have as a people of Uganda, it is not criminal at all to guard your vote, if we all want transparency, he should not intimidate you” he said.
He has asked his voters to storm their polling centers as early as 5 am on the polling day to watch the ballot boxes arriving.
”get to the polling station as early as 6 am watch, make sure the boxes are open for everybody to see, make sure they are sealed and watch through all the electoral process to ensure we have a credible, transparent, free and fair election’’Bobi says
Asked by this website if he is not inciting the public and promoting bloodshed by asking voters to dishonor Byabakama’s orders’ He says
”What causes bloodshed, who causes bloodshed, why are we talking about people that are being brutalized but not talking about the brute, there is no law that the people of Uganda will be breaking by watching their vote, its as if you are suggesting that by people coming and being vigilant like it’s a death sentence, well knowing that we have taken Gen. Museveni and his security people to the ICC.”
Let him do everything knowing that we are not in the dark, this is 2021, not 1986”.bobi added
Recently, the EC boss Byabakama cautioned Ugandans from sticking around the polling station after voting because of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Byabakama says besides it being a legal right for voters to stay behind and watch the process of vote-counting, this will not happen because of security reasons and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is your right to cast your vote, but you see, we are saying in the COVID era now if you allow people to the crowd, then we are exposing the people to what we are preventing them
Byabakama, however, says the EC will only give access to a limited number of people at polling centers like; agents to candidates, EC officials, and security personnel.
The Presidential elections act says that voters can stay at least 20 meters from the polling station.
