By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine, who has been in hiding since the January 15 presidential election he alleged was rigged, on Saturday announced that he has left the East African country.
“Fellow Ugandans and friends of Uganda all over the world, by the time you see this video, I will have left the country,” Wine said in a video published on X.
Wine, 44, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, went into hiding after the poll in which President Yoweri Museveni, 81, was re-elected for a seventh term.
Observers and NGOs criticised the outcome of the election, with the the opposition alleging that it lacked transparency.
Wine has not appeared in public since he fled, nor indicated which country he fled to.
His lawyer had urged the UN and the international community to seek guarantees for his safety after deadly threats arising from the fallout of the election marred by clampdown on opposition leaders and internet disconnection.
In the video Saturday, Wine said he plans to advocate for sanctions against Uganda.
His deputy, Lina Zedriga, would assume the presidency of his National Unity Platform (NUP) party in his absence, he added.
Museveni “rigged” the election, Wine insists.
“Out of shame and lack of legitimacy, him and his son are searching for me everywhere,” he said.
“And that’s why I’m leaving the country for a while.”
“It’s laughable that for almost two months, the entire security apparatus of Uganda has invested billions of taxpayers’ money to search for me everywhere, but they failed to get me,” he continued.
The Ugandan president’s son and army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 51, known for his often controversial posts on social media, had said on X that he wanted Wine dead, a message he has since deleted.
He had also hailed the deaths of 30 opposition members and the arrest of some 2,000 of their supporters following the vote.
Wine said after his stint abroad, he will return to Uganda, “and let the regime do whatever they want to me in full view of the world”.
“After all, I have not committed any crime. Running for president is not a crime,” he said.
