The National Unity Platform (NUP) has submitted thousands of additional signatures to the Electoral Commission (EC) in a frantic effort to secure the presidential nomination of party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.
NUP Secretary-General Lewis Rubongoya confirmed the development on Sunday morning, posting on X that the party had delivered “thousands more signatures” to the EC. “We shall leave no stone unturned,” Rubongoya wrote, expressing gratitude to NUP’s sub-regional and district teams for what he described as “amazing work done in a very short time.” He added that supporters were still streaming into the party’s Makerere-Kavule headquarters to sign, calling it “a noble duty.”
The push comes just hours after Bobi Wine accused the EC of partisan conduct and deliberate sabotage of his 2026 presidential bid. Kyagulanyi claimed that despite submitting “more than enough signatures per district,” the EC had rejected many endorsements, declaring him short of the minimum threshold in at least 36 districts. He alleged that government operatives—including GISOs, DISOs and Resident District Commissioners (RDCs)—had intimidated citizens who initially signed in his support, forcing some to deny their signatures when contacted by the Commission.
“The same Commission is indicating that Museveni submitted more than enough signatures,” Kyagulanyi charged, describing the process as “shameless” and branding the actions of security operatives “criminal.”
On Saturday, Kyagulanyi issued an urgent appeal to registered voters in the affected districts—including Alebtong, Gulu City, Bushenyi, Ntungamo, Mbarara, Soroti, Arua and 30 others—to report to NUP headquarters on Sunday morning to re-endorse his nomination papers. He insisted that his formal nomination will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
The EC, which has not publicly responded to the latest accusations, maintains that signature verification is a legal requirement for all presidential aspirants. Under Ugandan electoral law, candidates must present at least 100 verified signatures from at least two-thirds of the country’s districts to qualify for nomination.
With the deadline just two days away, the escalating standoff sets up a tense opening to Uganda’s 2026 general election season, with NUP vowing to “leave no stone unturned” to keep its leader on the ballot.