KAMPALA-(MaraviPost)-Ugandan Police have denied allegations that presidential candidate Bobi Wine was abducted on Friday evening as vote counting continues in the East African nation amid an internet blackout.
Wine’s party had said a helicopter landed in the grounds of his house in the capital, Kampala, and forcibly took him to an unknown location.
But the opposition leader has since issued a statement saying he managed to escape during the night raid by the security forces and was no longer at his home, but his wife and other relatives were still under house arrest.
The latest results from Thursday’s election show that President Yoweri Museveni has a commanding lead and is set to extend his 40 years in power.
He has 72% of the vote, with Wine on 24%, based on returns from 94% of polling stations. The final result is expected to be declared later on Saturday.
According to BBC, Wine has condemned the “fake results” and “ballot stuffing” but has not provided any evidence.
The authorities have not responded to his allegations.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said Wine was still in his home and that Wine’s family members were spreading “untrue” and “unfounded” claims.
He said Wine’s movements were restricted because his home was an area of “security interest”.
“We have controlled access to areas which are security hotspots,” Uganda’s Daily Monitor paper quoted him as saying.
“We cannot allow people to use some places to gather and cause chaos. All our actions are intended to prevent anybody from creating violence or destabilising our security,” he said.
Overnight Wine’s son, Solomon Kampala, posted updates on social media admitting he was getting conflicting reports about the security situation at his parents’ home.
Difficulty accessing the internet in the country has made it hard to verify information.
Just after midday local time (09:00 GMT), Wine posted a statement on Facebook explaining that it had been “very difficult” at his home in Kampala’s Magere district on Friday night.
Source: BBC
