Ugandan Bobby Wine taken to undisclosed location by army helicopter, party says | Election news

The National Unity Platform said the opposition presidential candidate has been seized from his home after a tense election.

Bobby Wine‘s political party says Uganda’s opposition presidential candidate has been “forcibly removed” from his home and taken to an “unknown destination” in an army helicopter.

The National Unity Platform made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, a day after Ugandans voted in tense elections. Internet blackout.

There was no immediate comment from Ugandan authorities.

Wine, the country’s top opposition party, had long challenged President Yoweri Museveni An election campaign The United Nations said it had been marred by “widespread repression and intimidation”.

Reporting from the Ugandan capital Kampala early on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi said the internet shutdown had made it difficult to find information on the wine’s whereabouts.

Soi said a National Unity Platform official reached by Al Jazeera confirmed “men who appeared to be military and other security agents” over the fence of Wine’s house.

But the officials could not say whether the wine was at home or had been taken away.

Soi added that Al Jazeera was unable to reach the Ugandan military or police to confirm what happened.

She reported that Vine made the allegation shortly after Thursday’s vote A social media post A “massive ballot-stuffing” was reported across the country.

He called on Ugandans to “rise to the occasion and reject the criminal regime”.

Wynne’s comments came as he accused Museveni’s government of cracking down on opposition politicians and their supporters over the years.

The 81-year-old president is seeking to extend his nearly four decades in power, saying he expects to win 80 percent support ahead of this week’s election.

Museveni was comfortably ahead when the votes were counted on Friday, the Electoral Commission said, with 73.7 percent of the vote to Win’s 22.7 percent, with nearly 81 percent of the votes counted.

The final result was due at 4pm local time (13:00 GMT) in Kampala on Saturday.

Following the agitation caused by clashes at opposition rallies and arrests of opposition supporters, The voting was conducted peacefully on thursday.

But at least seven people were killed when violence erupted overnight in the town of Butambala, about 55 km (35 miles) southwest of the capital Kampala.

Local police spokeswoman Lydia Tumushabe said opposition “thugs” organized by local MP Muwanga Kivumbi attacked the police station and polling station.

Kivumbi, a member of Wynne’s party, said security forces attacked opposition supporters who had gathered at his home to await election results. An opposition MP said 10 people were killed.

“After killing them, the army continued firing,” Kivumbi told the AFP news agency. “And they made sure they removed all evidence of the dead. All you have is a pool of blood that’s left here.”