Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) president Jimmy Akena has urged his supporters to manually write his name on the presidential ballot paper come January 15, insisting he still deserves a place in the 2026 race despite being blocked from nomination.
Speaking at the UPC headquarters on Wednesday, Akena said he believes the move to lock him out was politically driven, and called on his supporters to show solidarity by writing “Akena” on their ballots.
“Take your ballot paper and write the name Akena. They refused to put my picture, they refused to put me there write my name. That is my message to my voters,” Akena told journalists, adding that the number of invalid votes would reflect his political strength.
Akena maintains that the court ruling which declared him not the legitimate UPC president was engineered to frustrate his presidential bid.
“By writing my name, you are telling them that Akena has a base,” he added.
However, the Electoral Commission (EC) has pushed back strongly, calling Akena’s message misleading and irresponsible.
EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi warned that altering ballot papers will automatically invalidate them, and that only candidates who were duly nominated can receive votes.
“That should be dismissed as fake news. It is disinformation, and nobody should take it seriously,” Mucunguzi said.
Akena’s call has now set up fresh tension with the EC, especially if his supporters decide to follow through potentially increasing invalid votes in the upcoming election.
The January 15 presidential election will proceed with only candidates officially approved by the Electoral Commission.
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