Trying to discredit the Electoral Commission is sheer opportunism

COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | Scholars have defined political opportunism as aiming to increase one’s political influence at any price, or a political style that involves seizing every and any opportunity to extend political influence, whenever such opportunities arise.

Typically, opportunist political behavior is criticized for being short-sighted or narrow-minded. However, most politicians, especially those in developing countries like Uganda, have no sense of shame and grab any opportunity to make both short and long-term gains.

Like they say, wonders never cease to happen, especially in our dear country, Uganda. Why on earth would a presidential candidate like Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) spend most his time discrediting the Electoral Commission (EC), a body mandated by law to organize an election where he is fully a participant?

Kyagulanyi has made many statements to the effect that the EC chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi is up for mischief come the voting day in 2026. What is ironical, though, is that Kyagulanyi, like most of his supporters at parliamentary and local council, has registered to participate in the January 2026 elections, and without a doubt, they expect a free and fair outcome. This, in my view, is sheer opportunism and blackmail.

The very EC that the NUP leadership is now discrediting is the same election body that declared 57 members of parliament in their favour in the 2021 general election, making them the biggest opposition party in Uganda. It is the same EC that announced Kyagulanyi legitimately earned votes of 3,631,437 people in the same election.

One wonders why this same body is now under such attacks. Of course, all these attacks are calculated attempts to malign EC as an independent arbiter such that in the event results are not in their favour, they will cry foul and say, ‘We saw it coming.’ The EC is a credible arbiter; the reason hundreds of thousands from all political parties are running as independent candidates is that they were not satisfied with the results in their party primary elections.

Ugandans might look naive and gullible, but what is very clear is that they are not that daft, like some of our political actors tend to think. They have rejected such parochial attempts by their leaders, who often selfishly want to mislead them.

The NUP call can only depict them as potential bad losers who are unwilling to accept any result as long as it is not in their favour. In fact, they risk being isolated by those moderate Ugandans who prefer peaceful and mutual coexistence irrespective of what the coming elections will present as the final outcome.

NUP should know that elections are not a zero-sum game. Irrespective of our political affiliations, we must tolerate each other and live and work together and trust institutions mandated to do their work. Mistrust and incitement are clear ways of inviting anarchy where everybody is a loser.  Mature politics calls for respect for the institutions mandated to play certain roles in this critical role of general elections. Any deliberate efforts to undermine these critical institutions can only bring on board situations that we shall all only regret.

Political tolerance and respect, among other things, call for the willingness to extend basic civility and respect to persons and institutions that play different roles in this exercise. It is a central tenet of a liberal democracy. This respect applies to either group…the political players and the various institutions mandated to manage this exercise.

Therefore, for NUP to continue casting doubt on the impartiality of the EC is not only politically very absurd but equally dangerous. The EC has done everything possible in openness, including but not limited to the following: open registration of all eligible voters, open display of all the registered voters and displaying them in all parishes in Uganda, bringing in biometric machines to be used during elections in order to curb multiple voting during election day, and open voting and tallying that will be done at each polling station.

These are on top of many other mitigating procedures that are meant to deliver a free and fair election. Of course, building and maintaining faith in democratic institutions is a crucial and ongoing global challenge, requiring concerted efforts from both citizens and governments. Therefore, the need to exercise caution and maturity in such circumstances is what is needed.

Finally, NUP and its leadership had better realize that all attempts to blackmail the EC in this exercise are attempts in vain. What is interesting is that the majority of NUP supporters and participants are very reasonable Ugandans and have total faith in the EC. This explains the reason they have participated in large numbers. They hate incitement of any form against the institutions meant to govern them and appreciate the benefits of an all-inclusive society where people must live and work together irrespective of their political differences.

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The writer is the Acting Executive Director, Uganda Media Centre.