The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party leader, Mr Jimmy Akena Obote, is facing a major hurdle in his presidential bid after being blocked by the Electoral Commission due to constitutional breaches and binding court orders.
Despite this setback, the son of two-time Uganda’s President, Dr Apollo Milton Obote, remains defiant, stating that he is still fighting to appear on the ballot, citing plenty of time before the January 2026 general election.
Mr Akena’s team has filed a legal challenge against the Electoral Commission, asserting his right to contest.
However, the High Court has already ruled against him, upholding the EC’s decision. With nominations closed, Akena’s options are dwindling, but he’s exploring alternatives, including holding dialogues with concerned authorities in Kampala.
‘I am still fighting for the ballot, but we are going to be having this conversation. There is plenty of time before the voting, and we’ll be able to communicate and be able to put things across. So, I will articulate as things move ahead, any development, I’ll let people know,’ he told this newspaper in an interview at his home in Akokoro Town Council, Apac District, on Tuesday, November 12, 2025.
According to the incumbent Member of Parliament of Lira City East Division, his life turned upside down soon after he started his mobilisation tour at the beginning of 2025.
‘I’ve been very open in my message. I know the implication of my message. I know what I’m trying to bring. And yes, it will affect those whom the message hits and those who find themselves on the wrong side of the message. But I have no apologies because my message is for the people of Uganda,’ said the legislator.
‘I’m speaking to the people of Uganda. They are to make their decision. And as far as I’m concerned, their decision is final and should be respected.’
The UPC leader’s determination is palpable, but the road ahead is uncertain, according to political commentators. If unsuccessful, Mr Akena may need to reassess his strategy, potentially focusing on party rebuilding and grooming future leaders. For now, he is committed to fighting for his place on the ballot, refusing to give up on his presidential dreams.
‘No more interest in parliamentary seat’
Already, Mr Akena Obote, has bid farewell to Parliament, where he has served since 2006, to pursue a bigger prize: the presidency. Interestingly, he has made no secret of his aspirations for the country’s top office, and his decision to quit Parliament marks a new chapter in his quest for State House. Despite being blocked by the Electoral Commission from running against President Yoweri Museveni in the past-approaching presidential election, he is not seeking re-election as a Member of Parliament.
‘I’ve been preparing for the presidential election. Last time, because of Covid-19, I didn’t find it convenient and we didn’t have the time to prepare under Covid. But for 2026, we were all set for the presidential election,’ he explained.
‘And despite the machinations and all that was done to make sure I’m not on the ballot, it did not mean I should change the focus. The focus of where I am now and what I feel I can bring to the table are things which can affect Uganda as a whole. I think I’ve done my part as a Member of Parliament.’
While his members of UPC and many Ugandans see his decision to leave Parliament as a bold move, Mr Akena Obote is convinced it is a necessary step towards realising his dreams.
‘I’ve attained enough experience and knowledge of how the functioning of government, Parliament, and all the institutions function. So, I had put my effort towards a presidential election and that remains where my effort is,’ he added.
‘So, the issue of parliament or any other position? No. I’ve not made any preparation for anything other than to run for president for 2026.’
The UPC party leader said if he was cleared for the contest, he could shake off Museveni’s grip on power. President Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for close to 40 years, is running again for another term as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party flag bearer. Mr Museveni is contesting under the slogan ‘Protecting the gains’.
‘The 50 plus 1 equation’
The UPC leader claims he was not nominated because of an obvious reason.
‘I had created a pathway which was going to upset or put the 50 plus 1 equation into jeopardy. And that would have changed the whole dynamics of politics and also changed the dynamics of the interactions which we’re going to have,’ he said.
He said those who are fearing and concerned about what they are trying to create as a transition, they are fearing that if other players are able to establish themselves amongst the electorate, it will upset their plans in the future.
Mr Akena Obote added: ‘So, mine is for the people. Whatever happens, if the people benefit, I have no problem. If it costs me everything and the people benefit, I’m okay. At the end of the day, the people must benefit. That is my politics, that’s what I’m engaged in.’
Earlier, he urged his party’s flag bearers to mobilise support and not give their votes to President Museveni in the 2026 elections. Addressing parliamentary, LC5, and mayoral candidates on the UPC ticket at his home in Lira City on November 8, 2025, Mr Akena Obote emphasised the importance of staying united and focused on the party’s vision for transformative leadership. He urged them to work hard to convince voters to support the party’s endorsed candidates, ensuring they don’t inadvertently propel Museveni’s re-election.
Addressing a rally at Acaba Sub-county headquarters in Oyam District on October 23, 2025, Mr Akena also urged President Yoweri Museveni to step aside, warning that if he continued to stand in the way of change, the people of Uganda would go through him.
‘My politics is not about attacking people. I rarely speak about politicians’ names. But Mr President, please get out of my way. I am not interested in you, I am interested in the people of Uganda. But if you stand in the way of the people of Uganda, we have to go through you,’ he warned.
Also, he made it pretty clear that his dream cannot be killed or locked away, and he is committed to improving the health and welfare of Ugandans.
While campaigning for nominated UPC parliamentary candidates in Lira City on October 22, 2025, Mr Akena decided to start with a gospel song. And the key of the song was that ‘my tomorrow must be greater than today. And it doesn’t matter what they do to me, what they say, whatever they do, I am moving ahead for a better tomorrow.’
Mr Akena said he is in politics for a better tomorrow.
‘That is what we do. And us as politicians, we use words to sell our message. Now, there are people who are saying Akena has been defeated. There are those who are saying Akena has been locked up, forget about him. For me, as Akena, I have not given up. Whether you knock me down, I will get up again and I will continue until the end because I am not finished. UPC is not finished, and the [presidential] election of 2026 is not finished,’ he said.
Nonetheless, President Museveni is expected to return to Lango for his campaign rallies in Lira City, Lira and Kole districts. His team on ground said the head of state will address all pertinent issues being raised by the UPC leader.
Akena’s vision for ‘new Uganda’
In his vision for a ‘new Uganda”, Akena comes from the angle of UPC, whose policies are geared towards the improvement of people’s livelihoods.
‘So, the test is not the statistics, it is the output. If we talk about what we’re going to do with education, the resultant issue of education must be a qualitative and quantitative improvement in the output. Ugandans must be able to see the output. If it is agriculture, we must be able to see the output,’ he explained, adding that in the health services, people must be able to see the output.
‘The economy must serve the interests of the people of Uganda. It’s the people of Uganda who should be the ones to say, yes, the economy is working for me. Not to say the economy is working because of these statistics, and yet on the ground, people are suffering. And that is why you need an election, an open and free election, where we can discuss these issues and decide upon them, which is not happening in my case, as far as 2026 is concerned.’
About Akena Obote
He was born on September 25, 1967, at Mulago Hospital to former Ugandan President and Uganda People’s Congress founder Obote and his wife Maria Kalule. Following Idi Amin’s coup d’état in 1971, the young Akena fled to Tanzania with his father where he spent nine years in exile, from 1971 to 1980. He returned to Uganda in 1980 after Obote overthrew Idi Amin.
However, following Museveni’s rise to power in 1986, he went back into exile, this time in Zambia. He lived there with his father until 2005, when the Father of the Nation died and was brought back to be buried in Akokoro in northern Uganda’s Apac District, his birthplace.
Moved by sympathy, the people of Lira City elected Akena as their Member of Parliament in 2006, a position he has held ever since.