The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially cleared National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, for nomination as a presidential candidate in the 2026 general elections.
His nomination is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24.
This clearance comes after days of uncertainty, with the EC initially claiming that the supporting signatures submitted by Kyagulanyi did not meet the required threshold. However, earlier today the Commission has now confirmed that all necessary requirements have been fulfilled.
Speaking to the media and party supporters at NUP headquarters in Kavule today, the party’s Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, attributed the delay not to a lack of support signatures, but to what he described as “partisan tendencies” within the EC.
“The Electoral Commission has informed us that Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has successfully gathered all the signatures for his nomination not because he didn’t have them, but because of the partisan tendencies of the Commission. Thankfully, that has now been cleared,” Rubongoya stated.
He also criticized the EC for rescheduling Kyagulanyi’s nomination from Tuesday, September 23 to Wednesday, September 24, and changing the time from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. He noted that this disrupted NUP’s initial plans for campaign rallies.
Originally, both Bobi Wine and incumbent President Yoweri Museveni were slated to be nominated on the same day which was tomorrow. However, the sudden changes by the EC sparked accusations of bias from the opposition.
Reacting to the shift, Kyagulanyi accused the government of manipulating the schedule to prevent a side-by-side nomination with Museveni.
“As predicted by many Ugandans, the ridiculous claims about us not submitting enough signatures were intended to push our nomination date. The cowardly regime did not want us to be nominated on the same day as Museveni,” Kyagulanyi said.
He added that despite NUP’s formal request for a 10:00 AM slot on September 23, the EC instead scheduled him for 2:00 PM the next day, which affected their rally plans.
“Pushing it to 2:00 PM is clearly intended to frustrate our plans to hold two rallies. But knowing how they operate, we acted early and booked both Katwe Grounds and Kaala Playground (Nateete) for both dates. Nothing will stop the revolutionary cause,” he added.
In light of the new nomination date, NUP has declared Wednesday, September 24 as a public holiday for its supporters.
According to the official electoral roadmap, presidential nominations will take place on Tuesday, September 23 and Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the EC headquarters in Lubowa, Makindye Ssabagabo, Wakiso District. So far, five candidates have been confirmed for nomination.
