National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has urged Ugandans to rise above tribal divisions and unite for change, saying poverty affects all regions equally.
Speaking during a massive campaign rally in Agago District on November 1, 2025 — the 28th day of his nationwide campaign trail — Kyagulanyi accused the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of promoting disunity and betraying the promises it made after taking power in 1986.
He said President Yoweri Museveni appoints officials from different regions but denies them real authority, citing the Chief Justice as an example. Kyagulanyi pledged to prioritize education, health, and infrastructure, and to raise salaries for teachers and health workers once elected.
The rally, held near the court premises, drew a large crowd of supporters from across Agago. Lillian Abalo Ongom, the Agago District NUP chairperson and flag bearer, described Bobi Wine as the “Landlord of Uganda,” meaning a leader who welcomes everyone regardless of tribe or background.
A former presidential advisor under the NRM, Abalo said she left the ruling party after 40 years of loyalty without seeing any benefit. She declared that Bobi Wine had come to deliver the people of Agago to the “promised land.” Abalo urged residents to abandon discrimination and embrace unity, saying only together could they achieve real change. During the event, District Chairperson Amos Rubangakene unveiled two NRM officials who defected to NUP. Winnie Okidi, the NUP flag bearer for Agago County MP, criticized President Museveni’s long stay in power, saying northern Uganda remains the poorest region in the country. She questioned the NRM’s slogan “Protecting the Gains,” asking what gains exist when people continue to live in poverty.
Dr. Lina Zedriga, NUP’s Northern Region President, hailed the massive turnout despite what she called the absence of facilitation, saying the crowd proved that NUP’s support is not confined to central Uganda. She described the gathering as a “movement of hope” spreading across the north. In the 2021 general elections, NUP garnered 10,559 votes (16.51%) in Agago, while President Museveni under NRM won 47,696 votes (74.57%) out of 66,533 valid votes cast from 98,354 registered voters — a 67.65% voter turnout.
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