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NUP Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, commonly known as Bobi Wine, was officially nominated for the 2026 elections, marking the end of the nomination process by the electoral commission.
Joining five others in the race, Bobi Wine was handed a copy of the national voters register and a state security detail by Justice Simon Byabakama, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission.
Speaking to the press shortly thereafter, in a heavy downpour, at the Electoral Commission Grounds in Lubowa. Bobi Wine declared the beginning of what he called the "final phase" of a struggle to free Uganda from decades of poor leadership and repression.
He said his nomination represented not just a campaign, but a protest against the injustice Ugandans have endured for over four decades.
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Struggle for a new Uganda continuesBobi Wine thanked Ugandans for the trust they have continued to place in him since he first ran for president in 2021.
He said his heart was filled with a deep sense of duty and responsibility to deliver on the promise of a “new Uganda.”
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Bobi Wine's procession to the EC grounds in Lubowa
The NUP leader accused past and current leaders of betraying the people by replacing promises of liberation with acts of oppression.
Since our nation was born in 1962, every change of leadership has been written in blood, the blood and sacrifice of the common people of Uganda, the citizens of Uganda and yet the leaders who always promise liberation have always delivered oppression.
According to him, while Uganda is rich in resources, the country continues to suffer due to leadership that serves its own interests and governs through violence and fear.
Reflecting on past pain, staying the course
Bobi Wibe also recalled the price his movement has paid in previous elections, including the deaths and imprisonment of supporters.
Despite this, Bobi Wine said giving up is not an option.
He acknowledged the dangers ahead, including arrests, tear gas, and torture, but insisted that the alternative – surrender – is far worse. He told supporters that their resilience will be tested but maintained that true freedom will come eventually.
Mass mobilisation and resistance at the ballot box
Regarding those concerned that this election would be no different to those won by President Museveni since 1996, Bobi Wine said the 2026 election is not an ordinary contest.
He described it as a protest against stolen elections and unending injustice.
This is not the first time we contested; on our first attempt, many of our colleagues were killed and others remain imprisoned to date. I know that many ask why then do we risk going back to the polls, the teargas, bullets prisons and torture chambers.
The answer is that the alternative of this is giving up which is 10 times worse. No matter what happens we continue moving forward. We have voted before and we have had elections stolen before, but the election this time is not the usual one.
We are heading into this selection to protest the injustice that has been occasioned to us for the last 40 years. The protest begins now.
Addressing those who will join him on the campaign trail, he warned of a possibly violent period ahead but called for discipline and courage. He concluded with a message of hope, stating, “Freedom will come at the end of the day.”