National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, has stated with confidence that none of the 2026 presidential contenders can defeat him in a free and fair election, arguing that he commands unmatched support across the country.
Speaking during the Nation Media Group presidential debate on Sunday, Bobi Wine said Ugandans have already demonstrated where their allegiance lies, noting that his popularity is evident in all regions of the country.
“The people of Uganda have consistently shown it to you, from the north to the south, from the east to the west. None of the candidates can win me in an election, even in their own backyard,” he said.
Bobi Wine, who first contested in the 2021 general elections and emerged second according to Electoral Commission results, maintains that he was the rightful winner of that race. In 2021, the Electoral Commission announced that Bobi Wine secured 35 percent of the vote against President Museveni’s 58 percent.
He rejected those results, accusing the Electoral Commission and state machinery of rigging to keep President Museveni in power. He urged Ugandans to rally behind him again in 2026 to complete the political change they voted for.
“I call upon all of you to vote for me. Yes, I have the highest respect for all these presidential contenders, but I am the best choice. It is only a pretender that will not agree that the person elected to be president of Uganda in 2021 was Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert,” he said.
Bobi Wine said voting for him in 2026 would be a vote to end “40 years of dictatorship,” promising to deliver what he describes as a “new Uganda.”
He painted a grim picture of the current governance environment, citing what he called the capture of state institutions including the judiciary.
“At a time when our nation is at a crossroads, when all institutions of state are under capture, including the judiciary; when a judge sits to decide a case not based on the law but on what General Museveni wants; when appointment of judges is done by one person instead of the Judicial Service Commission; when a Justice of the Supreme Court, Esther Kisaakye, is in exile because she fears for her life for disagreeing with the status quo; when political leaders like Dr. Kizza Besigye are in jail for no case whatsoever; when citizens are tortured on camera by those meant to protect them; when social media like Facebook is blocked; when laws are applied selectively; when some citizens are imprisoned under the Computer Misuse Act; when a country is completely captured,” he said.
He added that despite the current state of affairs, Uganda can still be transformed.
“A new Uganda is possible. A new Uganda can come, and it’s by you and me,” Bobi Wine said.
Bobi Wine’s assertions come at a time when the political environment is heating up ahead of the 2026 general elections, with issues of governance, justice and political freedoms taking centre stage.
