OYAM, Oyam District – The President of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), Mr. Jimmy Akena Obote, has sounded an alarm over what he describes as a new strategy by political opponents to steal elections by discouraging voters from turning up at polling stations.
Addressing a charged rally at Acaba Sub County headquarters in Oyam North on Thursday, Mr. Akena stated that while the party had successfully thwarted attempts to rig votes in the recent Oyam North and Dokolo by-elections, the tactics have now evolved.
“There have been so many attempts to steal UPC votes, but we knew them early and prevented it,” Akena declared. “But now, the new trick is to make you, the voters, not go and vote. So, if you don’t want your vote to be stolen, you must go and vote.”
The rally was organized to drum up support for Dr. Eunice Otuko Apio, the Oyam North Member of Parliament and the UPC flag bearer for the 2026 elections, who was officially nominated for her candidacy earlier on Thursday.
Speaking with visible emotion, Akena also revisited the court decision that barred him from contesting in the previous presidential election. He bitterly claimed that his ambition was "disorganized by those who feared UPC." However, he asserted that blocking his candidacy would not halt the party's progress, urging the people of Oyam to vote for UPC as a show of force. The crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers, chanting that they would vote UPC.
Echoing Akena's sentiments, the Oyam Woman Member of Parliament, Santa Alum Ogwang, confirmed that the party has solid support on the ground and is poised for victory. She, however, warned that opponents are actively planning to subvert the will of the people.
“We have known their plan already, and we will do everything to avoid them from stealing this election,” Alum stated emphatically.
The guest of honour, Dr. Eunice Otuko Apio, confidently promised that the UPC would "paint Oyam red" and called on voters to send her back to the 12th Parliament to continue the development trajectory she has started. She highlighted her record over the last two years and pledged to reveal more of her accomplishments during the campaign period, focusing on the need for improved schools, roads, and staffed hospitals.
Mr. Akena linked this local development agenda to the UPC's national vision, recalling the party's legacy of building hospitals and schools across Uganda without discrimination. He lamented the current brain drain, citing that "many teachers in Uganda are teaching in Kenya and many doctors are working in South Africa, yet they are supposed to work in Uganda and heal our people."
In a strategic move to bolster grassroots mobilization, Dr. Apio presented bicycles to all UPC chairpersons from the parish to the sub-county level, tasking them with the mission of securing votes for the party in the upcoming elections.
