The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has called for unity among Ugandans, urging citizens to reject decades of ‘lies and division’ allegedly propagated by the ruling establishment.
Addressing thousands of supporters at Akii-Bua Stadium in Lira City on October 27, 2025, Bobi Wine said his visit to Lango Sub-region was not just about seeking votes but about rebuilding trust and solidarity between communities.
‘Many of you are below 40 years. Many of you were born after Museveni took over our country. Many of us have grown up on lies. I don’t know what lies you’ve been told about the Baganda, but I will tell you the lies we’ve been told about the people of Lango, the people of northern Uganda, and the people of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC),’ Bobi Wine said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
For days, Bobi Wine has traversed Apac, Kwania, Kole, and Lira-painting a vision of a ‘new Uganda’ that prioritizes young people, equality, and good governance.
He traced Uganda’s political history back to the 1980 elections, when President Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) lost with just one percent of the vote, and Museveni accused the then-president Milton Obote of rigging the election.
‘Museveni said Obote had stolen his election and started a war. But he did not start that war from where he comes from; he started it in Luweero. He began killing people, raiding banks, and burning ambulances. For a long time, Ugandans were told that the UPC people had gone around killing people,’ Bobi Wine told the cheering crowd.
The NUP leader alleged that years later, government officials had admitted that rebels disguised themselves as UPC supporters during the war and maimed civilians.
He said Uganda’s 40 years under ‘gun rule’ had left the country trapped in fear and poverty, and called on young people to rise up and shape their own destiny.
‘When I decided to run for president, it was for all of Uganda. We want to end 40 years of gun rule and start afresh. Uganda is rich-it’s not governed well. We have oil, fertile land, and young people full of energy. What we need is leadership that believes in us,’ he said.
Bobi Wine told his supporters that he won the 2021 general election, but his victory was ‘stolen’ by the ruling NRM.
‘We won Museveni, but he stole the election. They used Covid as an excuse that time, but this time there is no Covid,’ he said, urging supporters to ‘protect their votes’ in 2026.
Despite facing several obstacles during his campaign, including roadblocks and venue restrictions, Bobi Wine said the growing turnout was proof that Ugandans were ready for change.
‘They blocked us from many venues, but here we are. They delayed our clearance until 1:30 pm, but we still came. The regime fears crowds because they show the world that we have support,’ he said.
In his closing remarks, Bobi Wine challenged young Ugandans to imagine a future beyond political manipulation and fear.
‘When you vote, remember that it is not about me, it is about your future. Uganda will change when the young people decide that it must,’ he said.
Background: 2021 election performance in Lango
In the 2021 presidential election, the Electoral Commission results showed that President Museveni won most districts in the Lango sub-region.
In Oyam, Museveni garnered 62,292 votes against Bobi Wine’s 27,351; in Lira City, he polled 30,271 votes while Bobi Wine received 17,495. Similar margins were seen across Apac, Kole, and Alebtong.
This time, however, Bobi Wine’s campaign in northern Uganda has attracted larger crowds and renewed enthusiasm, signaling a potentially tighter race in 2026.