Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda and the National Chairperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has broken his silence on the just concluded party flag bearer elections that had instances of violence and malpractice.
In a statement that the sole candidate of the party’s 2021 presidential election released on his social media, he congratulated all winners of the elections that were conducted by lining up behind candidates and thanked the losers for taking part.
“Greetings and congratulations on the massive turn-out. You showed the world what democracy means. I congratulate those who won. I also congratulate those that did not win but who participated.”
President Museveni.
He took a jab at a section of people that he said are “shallow people who resort to shallow schemes to steal the power of the people.” He defined those particular people as those that bribe, intimidate, alter declaration forms, attack and injure people, use the underage to vote, and import voters from other areas among others.
“The real thing is what happened in the village. 200 legitimate voters lined behind candidate ‘A’ and 100 lined behind candidate ‘B’. Similar exercises happened in the 606 villages of Luwero district, for instance. The elections are finished. The rest is simply totaling up. It is an exercise in futility for anybody to create a new reality on DR forms that is not in the villages.”
President Museveni.
He further said that anybody who participated in such ‘criminality’ would have committed fraud in law and the sentence for fraud is 3-5 years in prison.
“This crime is easy to prove because in the example of the village X we used, there are 300 witnesses – the 200 that voted for A and 100 that voted for B. Therefore, the aggrieved candidates, get facts from a sample of villages from your village agents, who must speak truthfully otherwise they will also be charged with aiding and abetting a fraud as well as making false declarations, the Police will cross-check and criminal proceedings will be initiated.”
President Museveni.
The NRM Primaries had incidences of violence in;
Sembabule where the election involving Minister Kuteesa’s daughter Musherure and President Museveni’s brother Kaguta Soddo was suspended.
Kiruhura (Nyabushozi County) where incumbent Col. Fred Mwesigye and newcomer Ambassador Wilson Kajwengye’s results have been suspended by the NRM EC pending investigations.
Ntungamo where Labour Minister Mwesigwa Rukutana has been accussed of threatening to shoot voters of his opponent and even allegedly shooting and killing a former rival.
In the east, Minister Namuganza’s election was also suspended after an agent was allegedly murdered before the election process.
